Movie Review: “Cop Out”

Seen on: February 26, 2010

The players: Director: Kevin Smith, Writers: Robb Cullen, Mark Cullen, Cast: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Adam Brody, Kevin Pollak

Facts of interest: First film Kevin Smith has directed but not written.

The plot: Two cops are looking for a valuable baseball card while tracking down a bunch of ruthless criminals.

Our thoughts: Kevin Smith’s “Cop Out” with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan in the starring roles of two buddy cops passes as a dull comedy that should’ve been funny. Alas, there’s not too much to laugh about in this drag of a movie, which tries really hard to bombard audiences with bad jokes that simply don’t fly.  

In “Cop Out,” the lack of a decent story is eventually what kills every hope for this movie to work. Willis and Morgan run around desperately trying to act all funny, but what they fail to realize is that there’s absolutely nothing remotely compelling for them to work with. In fact, all they do is prove how bad the screenwriting is.

The film follows NYPD buddies Jimmy (Willis) and Paul (Morgan), who are after a gang of violent murderers and drug dealers disturbing the peace in the city. They’re also after Jimmy’s stolen baseball card, which holds extreme value and is pretty much his only way to help pay for his charming daughter’s expensive wedding.

Jimmy and Paul have been working together for years now, but to be honest, I don’t know how they did it. I know this kind of movie doesn’t require logic, but the ways these guys handle their job is nothing short of ridiculous. I would be fine with all of it if I had laughed my butt off, but I barely got to smile in this one. Once, maybe.

Morgan does what he always does, and that’s talk fast and talk gibberish in an attempt to make folks laugh. His energy here works in one or the other scene, but overall, I can’t say his performance is successful. It gets old very quickly, and not even Willis’ superficial coolness can save the day. The acting is so-so.

What else is there to say about this? Smith didn’t write the script, and this is his first big studio film. Maybe that’s why it’s not funny at all. Smith obviously didn’t have all the control I’m sure he wanted, and the result is disappointing. The script has been in turnaround for a while a few years ago, and it’s a shame it didn’t stay there.

“Cop Out” is sold as an action comedy, but expect for a final shoot-out, there’s not much action in this thing. That’s also yet another reason why the movie ends up so boring. Nothing happens until the end, and when the big showdown kicks off, it’s definitely too late to make up for the huge mess this flick has unleashed.

Freaky quote: "I was in the moment. And the moment said smack ya." - Bruce Willis, pretending to be a cool cop

The final word: If you like watching Morgan jump around in a cell phone costume and talk smack to a teddy bear, this may be your movie. For those expecting a hilarious and action-packed buddy cop adventure, stay away. This one stinks, and that’s really all I have to say about it. “Cop Out” may have had some potential, but the end result is a miss.

Article by Franck Tabouring