Review: Cop Out

When the credits rolled for Cop Out I was internally weeping. Why would you do this to me Kevin Smith? Why would such a talented filmmaker such as yourself be attached to this horrible mess of a “comedy?” It pains me to write these words about one of your films. I admire you. I respect you. I even liked Jersey Girl! But I don’t think I can forget this muck you’ve presented and see your films in the same light moving forward.

NYPD partners Jimmy (Bruce Willis) and Paul (Tracy Morgan) are your typical buddy-cop duo (think Lethal Weapon and then remove half of Mel Gibson’s brain and all of Danny Glover’s brain). Early on in the film they’re suspended without pay for causing some reckless trouble during a takedown. This is bad news for Jimmy, who was planning on paying for his daughter’s $48,000 wedding. At this point I had to ask myself — would one month’s salary on the NYPD really cover a $48,000 wedding? Sign me up if so. He decides to sell a very valuable baseball card in order to make up the difference and while having it appraised the store is robbed by a young thug (Seann William Scott) and the card is stolen. From there the movie turns into a collection of boring, pointless scenes involving a Mexican gang, a stakeout, and a ridiculous subplot where Paul fears his wife is having an affair. The entire film feels like filler from the cutting room floor.

There are so many things wrong with Cop Out that it’s hard to list them all. The biggest for me would be Morgan who seems to only know how to yell and spit and act like a moron. He is so annoying that you don’t even realize how much of a hack-job Willis is doing. Another problem is the script (or lack of one) courtesy Robb and Mark Cullen. This is the first film Smith has directed that he didn’t write and it shows big time. There is nothing here that is remotely intelligent. It’s the lowest form of toilet humour imaginable and the dialogue is so disjointed it comes out like nonsensical verbal diarrhea.

Not to totally ruin the party, I did laugh a few times and think William Scott was great in his role. If there was more of him and less of everyone else this could have been a constant laugh-fest. Adam Brody and Kevin Pollak are also fun as two rival detectives. Again, if Smith had written the script they might have played more of a significant role and actually been used to their abilities better. Instead we get a few silly scenes with them before they disappear.

Smith tried something new, but now he needs to get back to basics and make a smart, dialogue-driven film like Clerks or Chasing Amy in order to clear his name following this atrocity. Cop Out looks like it might be a fun time (if you watch the trailer you’ll get all the funny bits) but it doesn’t even come close to being in the same league as other buddy-cop films Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours, or even Rush Hour.

* out of 5 stars

Rated R
Cast: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Seann William Scott
Directed by: Kevin Smith
Official Site IMDb

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

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Top image: A scene from Cop Out. Courtesy Warner Bros.