Dave Bautista Stands By His Critically Panned Action Comedy

by

I’m a big Dave Bautista fan, and I was surprised to hear him so passionately defend his 2019 movie Stuber. He said he’d defend it “to his death,” which is pretty funny considering it only got a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes! He’s been in some amazing action films like Dune and all those Marvel movies, but not everything is a hit. Stuber, the buddy cop movie he did with Kumail Nanjiani, seems to be one he’s particularly proud of, even if critics weren’t wild about it.

Dave Bautista recently told ScreenRant that he’s always been a defender of his movie Stuber, even though critics weren’t kind to it. He explained that he reached out to director Michael Dowse when the film lost its original director, and he praised Dowse for doing a great job with the movie despite the negative reviews.

Our director, Michael Dowse, really came through for us in a tough spot. I’ve worked with him before on a movie called Stuber, which I think is fantastic but doesn’t get enough credit, and I knew he could help. We lost our original director just weeks before filming, so I reached out to Michael, and he immediately jumped at the chance. He was on a plane the next day, diving into pre-production, refining the script, and making everything better. He’s incredibly talented and has a clear vision for what he wants to achieve. He’s experienced enough to essentially edit the film in his head while shooting. I’m incredibly grateful for his help and would love to collaborate with him again. He’s not only a great director, but also a wonderful person, and I have a lot of respect for him.

The movie Stuber centers around Stu Prasad, an Uber driver, who picks up a passenger who turns out to be Vic Manning, a determined but volatile LAPD officer. They team up to chase a dangerous criminal – a drug trafficker and police killer – forming an unexpected connection along the way. While Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista had good chemistry on screen, the film itself received some criticism for its direction.

Let’s talk about Stuber. Financially, it wasn’t a hit – it made $32.3 million at the box office, but cost $18 million to make. But Dave Bautista is right to defend it! Despite its box office performance, the movie actually has some strengths, particularly in the directing. Michael Dowse, the director, has a solid track record – he previously gave us the charming rom-com The F Word back in 2013, and the surprisingly funny sports comedy Goon in 2011. He clearly knows how to handle a comedic tone, and that shines through even in Stuber.

Dave Bautista really enjoyed working on Stuber, which is why he teamed up with director Michael Dowse again for Trap House. In the new film, Bautista plays Ray Seale, a DEA agent determined to prevent his son and his friends from robbing a powerful drug cartel. Like Stuber, Trap House has a compelling and unusual story, but it’s a much more intense and dramatic thriller.

Though not as famous as some of Kumail Nanjiani’s other action films, Stuber is a movie he particularly enjoyed. This is likely due to his strong working relationship with director Michael Dowse and the great on-screen chemistry between the actors. The film’s unique story also helped it stand apart from his other, more typical action roles, giving it a special quality.

Now that Trap House is out in cinemas, Bautista can really showcase his strong working relationship with Dowse through a powerful performance. While Stuber isn’t one of his most well-known films, he was particularly enthusiastic about it, and its unique concept makes it memorable, even though critics weren’t impressed.

Read More

2025-11-14 17:58