Cop
Out
Rated R for pervasive profanity, sexual references, violence and brief
sexuality.
Running time: 110 Minutes
Distributor: Warner Brothers
Film Review by Kam Williams
Fair (1.5 stars)
Some of the funniest cop comedies ever made have revolved around a pair
of mismatched partners. Such memorable, madcap adventures as
Rush Hour and Bad Boys immediately coming to
mind in this regard. But the genre has suffered its share of misfirings,
too, and unfortunately the readily-forgettable Cop Out falls in that
category.
Directed by Kevin Smith, the film stars Bruce Willis and
Tracy Morgan as NYPD detectives,
with the former playing a wily veteran in contrast to the latter's more
mercurial, trash-talking village idiot. We learn that despite seemingly
incompatible personas, Jimmy Monroe (Willis) and Paul Hodges (Morgan) have
somehow been sharing the same police cruiser for nine years.
Set in Brooklyn, the arc of this uneven offering retraces the trademark,
unlikely-buddy blueprint wherein the protagonists are called on the carpet
back at the precinct following a badly botched stakeout. In this case, the
incident cost an informant his life. And because Paul's flamboyant antics
during the operation ended up on Youtube, their hard-boiled boss (Sean
Cullen) not only strips them of their badges and guns, but suspends them
both without pay as well.
This development is very daunting to Jimmy, who sorely needs his salary to
pay for his daughter Ava's (Michelle Trachtenberg) impending $48,000
wedding. With no cash coming in, the desperate dad decides to sell his most
prized possession, an Andy Pafko baseball card from 1952. However, the
priceless collector's item is subsequently stolen from him during the
robbery of a sports memorabilia store.
Not to worry. His partner Paul has real guns and fake badges ready for an
emergency like this. Going rogue, they give chase and eventually arrest a
street hustler (Seann William Scott) who, in turn, fingers Poh Boy
(Guillermo Diaz), a rabid baseball fan. Still, retrieving Jimmy's pilfered
card proves easier said than done, since Poh Boy also happens to be the
maniacal patriarch of a Mexican drug cartel.
What ensues is an infantile combination of the sort of crudity, carnage and
crass sexual humor we've all come to anticipate from a bottom-feeder like
Kevin Smith. Thus, his diehard fans are apt to be satisfied by the
gratuitous indulgence in the prurient, the profane and potty humor, while
others are likely to be left scratching your head and asking, "Is that it?"
You know you're in trouble when a film's funniest moments come courtesy of a
tertiary character's knock-knock joke and that echolocution prank from
grammar school where you repeat everything somebody else says. Meanwhile,
lead actors Willis and Morgan simply fail to exhibit the basic camaraderie
critical to conveying that authentic sense of chemistry fundamental to a
buddy vehicle. And if they ain't feeling it, it's not fair to expect the
audience to either.
Silent Bob strikes out!
A Trailer for Cop Out:
Related Links
Tracy Morgan - The "Cop Out"
Interview with Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/tracy_morgan_the_cop_out.html
