Cop Out
As Malcolm Gladwell so eloquently wrote, there is a tipping point for everything: Whitney Houston’s music career. Trucker Hats. “That’s What She Said”. (Actually, I can never have enough of that. [<—That’s What She Said! ZING!!!]) TV Shows (Like season 4 of The OC; I make believe it didn’t happen.) And Buddy Cop films. There was a time when the buddy cop genre was pumping out hit after hit (see: Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours, Lethal Weapon, etc.) Every premise was basically the same, but you watched anyway. Mainly because of cast it had assembled and because they were funny. But nowadays, the formula has been altered and something is missing. The comedy. The essence of what made these flicks awesome to begin with.
Cop Out is another in a long list of disappointments in the field. Sure, they try to lure you in with big names such as: Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. The problem is that the plot is so stale and formulaic, that it loses you from the first scene of the movie. Really? Tracy Morgan reciting a bevy famous movie lines to a suspect in order to get information, now equals laughs? If I was into regurgitation, I’d hang out with Kate Moss. (Although, I will admit that I did snicker when Willis acted dumbfounded when he heard “Yippie Ki-yay Motherfucker!”) While I love both these actors, in general, they were merely caricatures of themselves in this movie. It gave off the stench of desperation.
Speaking of desperation, what the hell has happened to Kevin Smith’s career? At one point he was the hottest comedy director around, and his work was seriously great (Mallrats, Clerks, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back). Now, he seems more interested in collecting a check and not crafting his art, as can be perceived when you realize he is on Twitter 24 hours a day! No wonder he had that Southwest debacle. Less time typing and more time jogging!
The rest of the supporting cast is wasted as well. Was there any reason why Sean William Scott was the dimwitted thief with a hankering for parkour? Any schmuck could have played that part. Rashida Jones is always effective no matter the size of her role (as she was in: I Love You Man, The Office, Parks and Recreation) and even she could not manage to make this work. The villain drug lord, played by Juan Carlos Hernandez, was a straight knock off his Weeds character, which is exceptional. Here, not so much. So a Latino king pin in Brooklyn needs a master list of new customers to deal to and also happens to be a fanatical baseball fan?
Coincidentally, the plot is based around Willis chasing after a valuable baseball card he had stolen that he needs to sell in order to pay for his daughter’s wedding, because accepting the money from his wife’s new husband would just be to big a hit to his ego. (Just writing it out, I can’t even fathom how it was green lit. What are they doing in Hollywood?) All in all, save for about 5 minutes total of actual laughter, this film was wretched. But you have to give them credit for one thing, the title really does say it all. It was a complete “Cop Out”.
