IF Ben Stiller is a bit fed up with his Starsky And Hutch co-star Owen Wilson, he probably has a point - this is their seventh film together.

"I was actually reluctant to have Owen starring in this one," jokes Stiller. "He's a real party animal, I knew that the schedule would drag on because he never shows up on time."

Wilson in turn casts aspersions on Stiller's driving ability, saying it made him nervous watching him practising his skills behind the wheel.

"I'm still shaking from having to be in that car with him, he's a dangerous driver," says the blond sidekick.

The tongue-in-cheek sparring between Stiller and Wilson is reminiscent of the original pairing of the blond David Soul and dark-haired Paul Michael Glaser in the popular mid-70s television series.

The pair even played on it in their Oscar presentation appearance, with Stiller appearing in denim shirt and buttoned jumper, only to pretend he'd been tricked into dressing down by a tuxedo-clad Wilson.

That same banter happened on the set of the film, which opens nationwide today, when the real Soul and Glaser made a cameo appearance, says Stiller. "They fell right back into it, they had lost none of their vibe."

Being the darker one, Stiller had to be Glaser's character. "If you were ethnic in any way, you were Starsky, I totally identified with him since I was 10 years-old."

And it was Stiller who took the idea of creating a screen version of the cop buddies to Warner Bros. He insists it's not a spoof of the original, but he's not quite sure where the film version fits in.

"It's not a spoof in any way but it does take place in the 70s although it's not making fun of that era. It's hard to describe what the tone of it is," says the 38-year-old.

"I loved the show when I was a kid and that's why I wanted to do the movie," Stiller enthuses. "It's probably more comedic than I want to admit but in my mind, it's a real cop movie. The closest I'll get to that kind of cop movie."

Perhaps it should be thought of as a prequel, he suggests. "The way Todd describes it, which is kind of apt, is it's as if this was the first pilot they did for Starsky And Hutch and then they re-cast."

It's certainly the closest the There's Something About Mary and Meet The Parents star has been to being a screen man of action.

Also appearing in Along Came Polly, Stiller has carved a film career out of being the vulnerable everyman audiences can relate to.

Critics haven't been kind to his comedy Duplex with Drew Barrymore but Stiller hopes for better things with Barry Levinson's dark comedy Envy. Then there's the planned sequel to Meet the Parents.

What the actor likes is comedy that doesn't sit easily, which marks him out as a sophisticated alternative to more mainstream Hollywood comedians.

"I'd rather have that kind of movie where it has its really loyal fans who really get it. At the end of the day, movies that appeal to everybody aren't necessarily the best or the funniest."

The son of New York-based comedy team Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller, it shouldn't be surprising that he's gone into film comedy.

"I just always knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to make movies and direct," he says. "Yet I wonder what would have happened to me if my parents hadn't been in the business, would I still have wanted this type of life?"

The anguished guy routine certainly doesn't carry over into his own life. The sought-after actor is married to actress Christine Taylor, and they have a three-year-old daughter, Ella.

"I just feel extremely lucky to have such a great wife who is an incredible mom. Having a child changes everything in your life in such a positive way."