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With the extremely funny action-comedy Stuber arriving in theaters this weekend, I recently sat down with director Michael Dowse’s for an exclusive interview. In the film, Kumail Nanjiani plays a part-time Uber driver who picks up a passenger (Dave Bautista) shortly after he’s had LASIK surgery and is forced to accompany him on a crazy adventure through Los Angeles as he hunts down a brutal killer. Trust me, Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista are fantastic together and you’ll laugh from the beginning of the film till to end. Stuber also stars Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino and Karen Gillan.

During the interview, Michael Dowse talks about why he wanted to open the film with a big action scene, the challenges of finding the right tone, what he learned from tests screenings, deleted scenes, the challenge of figuring out which jokes he wants to use when you have a lot of alternates, what surprised him about working with Dave Bautista, and more.

Check out what he had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about followed by the official synopsis.

Michael Dowse:

• Goodfellas vs Casino talk.
• The challenges of the tone in Stuber.
• Why he wanted to open the film with a big action sequence.
• What did he learn in the editing room about the film?
• What did he learn from test screenings?
• What was the last scene he cut out of the film before he finished?
• Does he have a lot of deleted scenes for the Blu-ray?
• The challenge of figuring out which jokes he wants to use when you have a lot of alternates.

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  What surprised him about working with Dave Bautista?
• What can he say about his next film, Coffee & Kareem?

Here is the official synopsis for Stuber:

When a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) picks up a passenger (Dave Bautista) who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer, he’s thrust into a harrowing ordeal where he desperately tries to hold onto his wits, his life and his five-star rating. Directed by Michael Dowse, this action-comedy from 20th Century Fox also stars Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino and Karen Gillan.