"Mod Squad" the TV series was before my time, but that's no reason that the movie itself had to be so unrelatable.

Julie (Claire Danes),Pete (Giovanni Ribisi),and Linc (Omar Epps) were the Mod Squad. They were three felons given another lease on life by Captain Greer (Dennis Farina). They weren't paid informants nor were they police officers, yet they worked in a police capacity under Greer. They were on a case when Greer was killed and they were determined to find out the whos and the whys.

This movie was too cookie cutter. It was Los Angeles, drugs, dirty cops, and a bunch of other cliché material. This movie didn't move the needle. I couldn't get behind any of the characters and the story was one that had probably been rejected fifty times before. I can appreciate wanting to revive a familiar product for the 70's crowd out there, this one just didn't work.

Three young petty delinquents Julie (Claire Danes),Pete (Giovanni Ribisi),and Linc (Omar Epps) are recruited by detective Greer (Dennis Farina) to work undercover where cops can't normally go. They are sent in to a club to investigate. When they find Greer murdered, they set off to find his murderer even though they are ostracized by most of the police. Meanwhile Billy (Josh Brolin) from the club is interested in Julie.

The lighting is way too dark for most of the movie. I understand the underground sensibility of their investigation. However it makes it hard to watch. Ribisi is good playing the jokey jittery guy. Epps is way too stiff of an actor. Danes is probably miscast here. I've never seen the TV show, and the movie is probably trying to copy Peggy Lipton. It seems better if they go more white trash for the role like a Juliette Lewis kind. Dane is way too nice and sweet. I don't know what the original TV show is like. So it's hard for me to compare and judge the movie. There is some good music but by itself, the movie is kind of boring.

The DVD sleeve explains the premise: "Three problem teens are headed for jail," and are "set to do time until Captain Greer offers them a deal to work for him - undercover." The film opens with definitions of the words "Mod" and "Squad", so you won't have to look them up in the dictionary. For a visual definition of "Cool", search for photographs of the original threesome: Michael Cole (as Pete Cochran),Clarence Williams III (as Linc Hayes),and Peggy Lipton (as Julie Barnes).

One black. One white. One blonde. Once they defined cool.

The three who make up Scott Silver's version of Aaron Spelling's "The Mod Squad" are twentysomethings: Claire Danes (as Julie Barnes),Giovanni Ribisi (as Pete Cochran),and Omar Epps (as Linc Hayes). They aren't able to do much with the material given. Mr. Ribisi's portrayal is the most "far out", meaning he digresses most from the original characterization. Ms. Danes romances Josh Brolin (as Billy Waites),who looks like he could be in a re-make of "Marcus Welby, MD". You won't believe hefty Michael Lerner dancing with Mr. Epps' "Linc". He explains, "I'm not a fairy, I just like to dance!" and requests, "Spin me!"

*** The Mod Squad (1999) Scott Silver ~ Claire Danes, Giovanni Ribisi, Omar Epps