The Mod Squad (film)

The Mod Squad is a 1999 American action thriller film directed by Scott Silver, and starring Claire Danes, Omar Epps and Giovanni Ribisi. Based on the television show of the same name, actors Peggy Lipton and Clarence Williams III (Julie and Linc in the series) make cameo appearances.

The Mod Squad
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Scott Silver
Written by	Stephen Kay Scott Silver Kate Lanier
Based on	The Mod Squad (TV series) by Bud "Buddy" Ruskin
Produced by	Alan Riche Ben Myron Tony Ludwing
Starring	Claire Danes Omar Epps Giovanni Ribisi Dennis Farina Josh Brolin Steve Harris Michael Lerner
Cinematography	Ellen Kuras
Edited by	Dorian Harris
Music by	BC Smith
Production company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
Distributed by	MGM Distribution Co.
Release date	March 26, 1999 (1999-03-26)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$21 million[1]
Box office	$15.4 million[2][3]

Plot

Julie Barnes, Pete Cochran and Lincoln Hayes are three minor delinquents who choose to become undercover cops in place of serving their jail terms. When their superior Capt. Adam Greer is murdered, the trio set out to find the real culprits.

Cast

• Claire Danes as Julie Barnes
• Giovanni Ribisi as Pete Cochran
• Omar Epps as Lincoln "Linc" Hayes
• Dennis Farina as Capt. Adam Greer
• Josh Brolin as Billy
• Steve Harris as Briggs
• Michael Lerner as Howard
• Richard Jenkins as Bob Mothersed
• Larry Brandenburg as Eckford
• Lionel Mark Smith as Lanier
• Sam McMurray as Tricky
• Michael O'Neill as Greene
• Stephen Kay as Bald Dude
• Bodhi Elfman as Gilbert
• Holmes Osborne as Mr. Cochrane
• Dey Young as Mrs. Cochrane
• Eddie Griffin as Sonny
• Clarence Williams III as Linc's Grandfather
• Peggy Lipton as Julie's aunt

Reception

The film was a box office bomb, grossing only $15.4 million out of its $21 million budget and was panned by critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 3% of 63 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Mod Squad aims for stylish cool and thrilling adventure, but collapses in an incoherent jumble of dated source material and unintentional hilarity."^[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 16 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".^[5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C−" on an A+ to F scale.^[6]

Awards

The film was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Screenplay, but lost out to another television show turned movie: Wild Wild West. At the 1999 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the film was nominated for four awards: Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Danes), Worst Supporting Actor (Ribisi), and Worst Resurrection of a TV Show.

References

1. "THE MOD SQUAD – Bomb Report".
2. "The Mod Squad (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
3. "The Mod Squad". The Numbers. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
4. "The Mod Squad". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
5. "The Mod Squad". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
6. "Movie Title Search". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.

External links

• Film portal

• The Mod Squad at IMDb
• The Mod Squad at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Mod Squad at Metacritic
• The Mod Squad at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films