I suppose there’s no clear definition of the ‘moment you know you’ve made it’, but Steve Lemme has a good story to tell.

Lemme, or Mac from Super Troopers, can trace the moment that penny dropped, which took place on the I-5 up to the San Jose Film Festival more than 10 years ago.

He recounted that story to Rolling Stone:

…he got pulled over going, he says, about 120 miles per hour. The police officer approached his car, and Lemme rolled down his window, preparing for a lecture and a ticket.

“The cop was like, ‘Mister, do you have any idea how fast – Super Troopers?!'” Lemme says, his voice hiking up in mock-surprise at the title of the 2001 film he co-wrote and starred in with his partners in the comedy troupe Broken Lizard. “I called the guys immediately afterwards and I was like, ‘Holy fucking shit, you’re never going to believe this – I just got pulled over but the guy was into Super Troopers and he let me out of the ticket!'”

I once got out of a ticket because I’m an organ donor – no lies. Join me.

Although the film came out in 2001, it was something of a sleeper hit. It did make an impressive $18 million during its original theatre release, which was far more than the budget, but then it became something of a cult hit that was passed from one friend to the next.:

Paul Soter, who plays the trooper Foster, [said] “It took five years of a dude having a DVD and handing it to his college roommate who handed it to his little brother, and so it was five years down the road before we all looked at each other and were like, ‘Can you go out without people being like, ‘Holy fucking shit, Super Troopers, you should make another one!'”

When they approached Fox Searchlight with the idea of making a sequel, the response was positive. There was just one massive caveat – they had to raise the money themselves.

They turned to crowdfunding Indiegogo, and raised a whopping $4,7 million in a month. That’s more than the entire budget for the first movie but, perhaps most importantly, it convinced the studio that there was still a fan base.

Trailer time:

So how did the idea come about?

The idea for Super Troopers 2 actually came out of an article about border reassessment between the U.S. and Canada, resulting in the idea of having to patrol a French Canadian town that, against its will, had become a part of the United States. The concept would bring the Super Troopers into contact with Quebecois nationalists, Mounties and the narcissism of small but crucial national differences.

And yes, before you get all antsy in your pantsy, Farva is still a doos:

 In the first movie, the obnoxious character had been a mostly harmless jerk and a walking punchline; in the sequel, he’s become a hyperbolic embodiment of the Ugly American, to the point that the other characters think he’s potentially going insane.

Today is April 20, or 420 for those in the know, which means the movie has just hit US cinemas.

We will have to wait, but that doesn’t mean you can’t head to one of our favourite local spots to light up in celebration.

Jah Bless.

[source:rollingstone]