Comedy sequels are tricky enough without the added challenge of continuing a minor hit nearly two decades later. The boys of Broken Lizard return for their first widely released collaboration since 2006’s weakly funny Beerfest. (Anyone actually see or even remember The Slammin’ Salmon or Freeloaders, both of which have appeared since?) Talk about diminishing returns: Broken Lizard peaked early, with 2001’s Super Troopers. Every subsequent movie has been less and less funny. 

Going back to the original well does not help stoke the creative fires. In Super Troopers 2, the boys decide to strip-mine our northern neighbor through antique Canadian stereotypes writers should have abandoned years ago. The nominal plot used to get Thorny (director Jay Chandrasekhar), Foster (Paul Soter), Mac (Steve Lemme), rookie Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske) and the roundly disliked and dislikable Farva (Kevin Heffernan) back in uniform alleges that part of Canada actually belongs to the state of Vermont. Being former Vermont state troopers, the gang, led by Captain John O’Hagen (Brian Cox), is tasked with smoothing over the transition. Instead, they get in a pissing contest with the local Mounties (the wasted trio of Tyler Labine, Will Sasso and Hayes MacArthur) and discover a passive smuggling operation with plenty of fake iPhones, pills and machine guns to sell in the United States.

As a former hockey player/small-time Canadian mayor/bordello owner, Rob Lowe seems to be enjoying himself more than most anyone in the audience will. For anyone who does not race out of the theater immediately, the few outtakes included in the credits are funnier than the movie itself.