Buzz
Debuting in 2001, Super Troopers marked the second feature from Broken Lizard, the comedy troupe formed by Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. The entire group not only wrote the script but also starred in the movie, with Chandrasekhar directing. The film follows five Vermont state troopers who spend their days pranking each other and the people they pull over, until impending budget cuts force them into real police work.
After grossing $23,182,223 at the box office, the film gained a cult following through strong word-of-mouth and frequent cable airings, leading to impressive DVD sales. Its popularity skyrocketed to the point where, in recent years, professional athletes began playing the infamous “meow game” on unsuspecting interviewers, making the production of a sequel both inevitable and eagerly anticipated. Here are some behind-the-scenes facts about the movie’s antics.
1. HARVEY WEINSTEIN CLAIMED HE'D PURCHASE THE SCRIPT, BUT HE WAS UNCERTAIN IF IT WAS FUNNY.
The movie was produced in collaboration with Miramax, after Broken Lizard won over Harvey Weinstein with their first feature, Puddle Cruiser (1996). Paul Soter shared with Rolling Stone that a Miramax executive advised them to approach the project ‘as if it’s your only shot at making a film. Treat it as if this is your one and only chance.’ Despite following this advice, Weinstein read the script and, according to Chandrasekhar, reportedly said, 'Eh, I’m not sure. Maybe I just don’t get comedy. It’s funny, but I’m not sure.' Nevertheless, Weinstein was instrumental in getting the movie sold.
"[Weinstein] walks up to me and says, 'I'm going to do you a favor. Meet me at the bar,'" Chandrasekhar remembered. "We met him at the bar for last call and had a drink with him [at Sundance]. After that, when people saw us with Harvey, the other studios thought, 'Oh, sh*t. We better get in on this.' He basically created demand for the film through subtle maneuvering. He hadn’t even seen the middle of the film. He said, 'When you hang out with me, your movie will sell.' It worked out as well as it possibly could." Eventually, Fox Searchlight bought the rights for a reported $3 million.
2. OVER 20 VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPT WERE WRITTEN.
Heffernan estimated that the team produced more than 20 versions of the script, each time adding new jokes. "We aim for one joke every six seconds," he explained.
3. ONE STUDIO WANTED TO CAST BEN AFFLECK.
Broken Lizard aimed to raise $5.5 million to produce the film, with the condition that the unknown members of the group would star in it and that Chandrasekhar would direct. Studios passed on the opportunity when the group refused to compromise on their terms. “They asked if they could cast Ben Affleck in a role, and if someone else could take over directing,” Chandrasekhar recalled.
4. THE MOVIE WAS FUNDED BY A SINGLE INVESTOR.
In the end, the film’s budget was $1.25 million, provided by one investor. “A guy who had just retired from Wall Street and wanted to get into film production saw the script and Puddle Cruiser, and asked if he could finance our movie. He gave us the money,” Steve Lemme said. “He put up the million and a quarter—and got every penny of it back.”
5. BRIAN COX VOLUNTEERED TO BE IN THE FILM.
When asked how they got Brian Cox, renowned for his work with The Royal Shakespeare Company, to join the project, Chandrasekhar told The A.V. Club that, "He actually reached out to us. He’s often cast in roles like pedophiles and Nazi generals, and as a big fan of Jerry Lewis, he felt he had a comedic side to explore. He’d been pursuing us for a while, and when we finally worked together, he was incredible."
6. MARISA COUGHLAN LANDED THE ROLE DUE TO HER THE EXORCIST IMPRESSION.
Marisa Coughlan was specifically chosen for the role of Ursula after impressing with her performance in Kevin Williamson’s Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), where she did a memorable imitation of The Exorcist (1973). Chandrasekhar described it as “absolutely brilliant.”
7. MANY OF THE EXTRAS WERE FROM THE SAME UNIVERSITY.
Similar to Broken Lizard’s members, a significant portion of the background actors were also alumni of Colgate University.
8. THE FILM'S OPENING SCENE WAS INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS.
The college student (Geoffrey Arend) who was forced to ingest drugs to eliminate evidence was inspired by a real-life story from the Broken Lizard crew. Border agents at the U.S.-Canada border found a joint in their Winnebago. When everyone was ordered to exit the vehicle, one friend ate a stash of mushrooms meant for 10 people. He was high for two days.
9. HEFFERNAN AND CHANDRASEKHAR INCLUDED THEIR PARENTS IN THE FILM IN UNIQUE WAYS.
Heffernan’s parents were eager to be a part of the movie, and although Heffernan agreed, he kept the details of their scene a secret. They played the couple that Farva (Heffernan’s character) pulls over and calls “chickenf*ckers.” (In 25 takes.) Chandrasekhar’s tribute was subtler: his character, Arcot Ramathorn, shares a first name with his father.
10. THE CAST BROKE THE LAW.
Following Chandrasekhar’s instructions, Heffernan once pretended to be a police officer to stop traffic for a scene after the production assistants failed to do so. Stolhanske got caught using his sirens while driving 100 miles per hour, but he claimed he didn't know they were activated. Lemme drove around in his police car, dressed in uniform, flashing his sirens at a woman who successfully cut him off.
Years later, Lemme was pulled over for driving 120 miles per hour, and it turned out that the officer, known as "Mac," was a massive Super Troopers fan. Rather than issuing a speeding ticket, Lemme ended up taking selfies with the officer.
11. THE SYRUP USED WAS GENUINE.
The prop department swapped the syrup in the bottles with iced tea, but Stolhanske remarked that the iced tea didn’t provide “that glug, glug, glug thick look” when they drank it. Chandrasekhar insisted on using real syrup for authenticity.
12. FARVA’S MUSTACHE WAS A FAKE.
YouTube
“I wore a stunt mustache,” Heffernan tweeted during an airing of Super Troopers.
13. HEFFERNAN WASN’T KEEN ON HAVING JIM GAFFIGAN IN THE FILM.
Jim Gaffigan ended up portraying Larry Johnson, the character who accidentally became involved in “the meow game.” However, Heffernan didn’t initially want Gaffigan because he had always beaten him out at auditions. Eventually, Heffernan seemed to have forgiven Gaffigan, as the comedian later appeared in another Broken Lizard project, 2009's The Slammin’ Salmon.
14. AN ALTERNATIVE ENDING EXISTED.
In the alternate conclusion, the police officers caught criminals while working as meat-packers.
15. THE INITIAL SEQUEL CONCEPT WAS SET IN THE 1970S.
In 2006, Chandrasekhar shared an idea for Super Troopers ‘76, a prequel centered around the fathers of the state troopers. By 2009, however, Chandrasekhar explained that the sequel would now take place three months after the original movie, with the troopers dealing with land ownership disputes between the U.S. and Canada. On October 24, 2015, filming for Super Troopers 2 commenced, following a successful Indiegogo campaign that raised over $4.5 million, setting a record as the highest-funded film in the crowdfunding platform's history.
