Cop Out

Review: Cop Out

I kept seeing the trailer and didn't connect to the fact that this is the Kevin Smith movie that was originally titled: "A COUPLE OF DICKS."

Kevin Smith cannot direct an action film for shit.  There's absolutely no excitement out of any of the robbery, chase, shootout scenes at all.  The only fun derived from watching this movie, comes from the amusing bits between Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan--whom was supposed to be "unleashed" here, the movie is rated R and all, but doesn't really do anything out of what you see on 30 Rock or whatever else he's in.  His award show antics are funnier.  But either way, he does have some funny bits, mostly out of the fact that he's very likable.  For his part, Bruce Willis is phoning the whole performance. I really wish to know why he signed up for this.  The best comedian though, was Stifler (Seann William Scott) unfortunately, he was highly advertise on the promos, but has very little screen time, and that was the biggest blow to the movie.
It isn't completely terrible, but definitely a dvd/rent movie.  Also, it is the most random movie I've seen in ages.  Truly just patched together in whatever way. And the plot? not its strong suit by a long shot.  Kevin Smith needs to find something else to do. Grade: C

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Cop Out

Cop Out
Starring: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Guillermo Diaz, Adam Brody and Kevin Pollack
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Director: Kevin Smith
Rated: R

Long time NYPD cop Jimmy Monroe (Bruce Willis) needs to pay for his daughter’s wedding his only hope is to sell a rare baseball card handed down to him from his father; When it gets stolen he and his partner Paul Hodges (Tracy Morgan) must hunt it down and get involved with a baseball obsessed gangster who intends to take over the New York drug trade.

Cop Out is the first film directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mall Rats, Chasing Amy) that he has not written the script for. Gone are the overly long soliloquies and dialog heavy small films that have become Smith staples. It’s nice to see Smith branch out of his comfort zone and pay respect to the buddy cop genre of film. From the opening minutes  which jump from an interrogation scene laden with clichéd cop movie quotes being thrown out by Morgan while Willis names the film to the “bust gone bad” scene to the “police chief takes the badge and the gun while chewing them out scene” you know that this is a movie that is in on the joke.

The music screams Beverly Hills’ cop 2 and the music is pulled straight out of the 80’s. Everything about Cop Out is a loving tribute to the genre.

Morgan (who shows that he can be a star when he rained in just a little bit,) is hilarious as Hodges particularly when he is paired against the intentionally obnoxious small time thief Dave (scene stealer Sean William Scott).  Willis  (in one of his best roles in recent memory) plays off the stereotypes he has helped create and adds not only humor but some heart to the story; as the cop who just wants to be a good father and not look like a jerk compared to wealthy stepfather Roy(Jason Lee). Gone are the one line wise cracks of the rogue cop version of Willis and in its place is the unforced banter between partners that feels more natural and much funnier.

Paying homage to the buddy cop movies of the 80’s Smith hits every synthesized note. Grade-84

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cop out

probably the funniest movie of the year.  of course it might be the first true comedy released of the year…

but really, this movie is pretty funny.  the language is severely profane, thank you very much kevin smith.  and i’m a huge kevin smith fan.  saw him speak at virginia tech several years ago and he really is a pretty awesome dude.  his flight was delayed and he got there two hours late.  spoke for three hours and stayed until the last peice of memorabilia was signed.  stand up dude.  and he’s hilarious.

this is the first movie directed by kevin smith that he did not write.  i’m not sure if there’s any significance to that but there ya go.  watching this film i got the impression that kevin smith would be an excellent director of kids’ movies.  his style seems to lend itself toward juvenile humor.  eh, who am i kidding, his style is complete and total juvenile humor.  if he’d make it pg, or even pg-13 instead of hard R for language, he’ll make a boat load of bread.  like he’s not already made a boat load of bread….

the original title of this film was “a couple of dicks.”  but the film company balked on it when the major television networks refused to run the trailer before 9 pm.  so the studio execs decided to call it “a couple of cops.”  kevin smith remarked when he heard of this change, “God that title is going to feel like such a f!@#$%g cop out”.

bam!  kevin smith is a genius!  you may check imdb.com for the above trivial tidbit.

back to the film, sean william scott kinda steals the show.  he’s pretty funny.  i wish he’d a had more screen time.  his chemistry with tracy morgan was a little better than bruce willis’.  and of tracy morgan, this might be his break out performance.  just like he says in the most recent promo, “i’ll be there and i’m hilarious.”

and he is hilarious.

the other movie out this weekend is the crazies.  i’m gonna check that out later this afternoon.

i rate this film 2 snoochies out of five.

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Cal Reed

Cop Out

If you look at rottentomatoes or imdb or any site that piles reviews together like a giant fruit salad of film critique, you may have come to the conclusion that "Cop Out" isn't worth your time, money, or mental capacity.

This is where you and I completely disagree.

Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan star as detectives Jimmy Monroe and Paul Hodges in Kevin Smith's latest directorial outing. The plot is about as confusing as it gets. Both Monroe and Hodges get suspended for being bad cops, Monroe needs to pay for his daughters wedding with an old baseball card that gets stolen and eventually they get involved with drug dealing mexicans trying to get the card back. Ok, maybe this movie's plot isn't worth your mental capacity.

The word's ridiculous and utterly confusing came to mind after I read that last paragraph. It's true, I admit it, and it probably has to do with the fact that Kevin Smith didn't write the script but instead just directed it.

I took a cue from Bruce Willis at the beginning of the film. He has the same look in the movie poster above. Look at that smirk, he knows this movie is going to be stupid, he knows that it's not going to go down as cinematic greatness, but he also knows he shouldn't take it too seriously and neither should you. I know I didn't.

I laughed from start to finish. As soon as I decided to not take this movie seriously, I spent the rest of the time focusing on the dialogue and delivery. All the dialogue is amazingly funny and had me in stitches. Tracy Morgan is by far the star of the film, pumping out line after line. Seann William Scott also has an incredibly funny role and Bruce Willis obviously had a great time making this movie.

I had a great time watching "Cop Out." It was definitely worth the matinee. If you can only take movies seriously skip this one, but if you love "30 Rock" give it a go. You won't be disappointed.

3 out of 4 stars

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CopOut

/</gip align="center"/>/giCop Out

<p align="center">Starring: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Guillermo Diaz, Adam Brody and Kevin Pollack

<p align="center">Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime

<p align="center">Director: Kevin Smith

<p align="center">Rated: R

<p align="center"> 

<p align="center"> 
 
Long time NYPD cop Jimmy Monroe (Bruce Willis) needs to pay for his daughter’s wedding his only hope is to sell a rare baseball card handed down to him from his father; When it gets stolen he and his partner Paul Hodges (Tracy Morgan) must hunt it down and get involved with a baseball obsessed gangster who intends to take over the New York drug trade.
 
Cop Out is the first film directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mall Rats, Chasing Amy) that he has not written the script for. Gone are the overly long soliloquies and dialog heavy small films that have become Smith staples. It’s nice to see Smith branch out of his comfort zone and pay respect to the buddy cop genre of film. From the opening minutes  which jump from an interrogation scene laden with clichéd cop movie quotes being thrown out by Morgan while Willis names the film to the “bust gone bad” scene to the “police chief takes the badge and the gun while chewing them out scene” you know that this is a movie that is in on the joke.
 
The music screams Beverly Hills’ cop 2 and the music is pulled straight out of the 80’s. Everything about Cop Out is a loving tribute to the genre.
 
Morgan (who shows that he can be a star when he rained in just a little bit,) is hilarious as Hodges particularly when he is paired against the intentionally obnoxious small time thief Dave (scene stealer Sean William Scott).  Willis  (in one of his best roles in recent memory) plays off the stereotypes he has helped create and adds not only humor but some heart to the story; as the cop who just wants to be a good father and not look like a jerk compared to wealthy stepfather Roy(Jason Lee). Gone are the one line wise cracks of the rogue cop version of Willis and in its place is the unforced banter between partners that feels more natural and much funnier.
 
Paying homage to the buddy cop movies of the 80’s Smith hits every synthesized note.

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Cop Out: An Awfully Unfunny "Homage" to the Buddy Cop Genre

Some directors in Hollywood really know how to cash in on one select success and turn it into a career of pure mediocre material that hangs on the edge of decent almost falling into the abyss of horrible. Director, actor, and writer Kevin Smith has certainly banked off the cult success of Clerks and made himself a known entity in Hollywood willing to sport childish humor, dirty scenarios, and foul language in a select few memorable achievements. However, in the last 10 years or so, ever since the lazy theological film Dogma, Kevin Smith has utterly failed at making an even semi-decent film and has completely lost all sense of subtlety, awareness, and control over his projects, which accumulates in his horridly idiotic new film Cop Out. Supposedly an “homage” to the buddy cop film genre, Cop Out results in little to no laughter leaving a strangely awkward and resentful experience. To put it as nicely as possible Cop Out is about as funny as watching domestic abuse, but even that might have better, and more realistic, writing. The awful script is written by Brothers Mark and Rob Cullen who have no ability to make a discreet homage or actual clever reference to any cop drama nor are their characters written any better. What makes the whole experience even worse is the unevenness of Kevin Smith’s direction for the actors, set ups, and script coherency. But what can one expect when they place Tracy Morgan in a feature film since he already gets annoying after 5 minutes in his overrated show 30 Rock. Two hours of Tracy Morgan and a seemingly bored Bruce Willis and uncaring Kevin Smith results in an unfunny and blatantly low brow theater experience.
            Could the film have been any better if Kevin Smith had written the script himself? Perhaps, but don’t look to Jersey Girl, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, or Zack and Miri Make a Porno for any positive indicators. Smith was a populace success in the 90s with over acclaim for Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma, which all have some minor humorous moments but nothing monumentally original or clever. Right off the bat Cop Out tries to be self-referential as Tracy Morgan’s unconvincing performance as a legitimate cop that they would allow on the force for 9 years begins to recite lines from various films he watches on television as he interviews a suspect. Having a cop that tries to idolize what he sees in the movies was done much better in Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz. In fact, if you want to see a comedy about two cops just go rent Hot Fuzz since that has more credibility in one of its scenes as not only a legitimate comedy but utilizes wit and cleverness in its script to reference other films in a much better fashion. Cop Out is essentially about two police detectives, a bored and effortless performance from Bruce Willis and an annoying and overstated Tracy Morgan, trying to bust a known drug dealer, all the while Morgan’s character is overly jealous of his wife and Willis is trying to pay for his daughter’s wedding. The plot is neither special nor unheard of but what is new here is the disrespect Kevin Smith does have for the police considering he allows his protagonist to make really questionable and unethical decisions, such as bargaining with a notorious drug dealer over a baseball card that is rare enough to be sold and pay for the expense of his daughter’s wedding. It wouldn’t be so bad if the script were actually convincing of its scenarios and, well, funny. But as a comedy Cop Out fails on many levels, overstating the parody and understating the actual jokes, making each scene in between bland action and hopeless comedic delivery seem drawn out, awkward, and unmoving.
            There are a few words that can describe the progression of the film and those are bland and boring. Clearly they are practically synonyms but they can describe the varying moods an audience member will go through during this film rather well. The acting from a majority of the cast, including Jason Lee and Rashida Jones, is quite bland while the story and all of the elements that go into providing the structure and progression is insanely boring. It almost seems as though Kevin Smith didn’t even care about this film. He might have had fun making it but there is no ounce of feeling in how the jokes interplay or how the characters develop. One might say that a comedy doesn’t need character development, a point that is well noted, but here Smith is blatantly trying to examine sympathies for Bruce Willis’ character and the lack of pay he has in his job in order to give his daughter the wedding she deserves, though there is no visual aid nor character traits that suggest that she does indeed deserve it. Once the director loses all faith and desire in his project the rest falls from under since it is his job to endear his cast and crew as to why this film should be made. Comedies that are decent are now one in a million, with a select few accomplishments this last couple of years. Kevin Smith has lost the momentum or whatever he had that made him a unique presence in Hollywood and has delivered idiotic schlock for the past 10 years. Someone needs to either take him away from the director’s chair or open his eyes to the mediocrity he keeps creating film after film.
            So were there any funny moments throughout Cop Out? A few moments made this particular writer smirk, but nothing close to outward laughter. Sean William Scott was surprisingly the funniest part about the film in the select few scenes that he’s in. The quote montage in the beginning has moments of humor but would have been better if they had worked in a bit of subtlety into the mix instead of just blurting out overly familiar lines and have Bruce Willis confirm which film they are from. In fact, Tracy Morgan spurting out Willis’ own famous line from Die Hard is one of the worst self-references from a film in recent memory since John Travolta having a Royale with Cheese in From Paris with Love. Simply put Cop Out is just not particularly funny or well made. Perhaps the screen presence of many known actors and comedians could have carried the film in an enjoyable way but it was uncomfortable to watch considering that none of the jokes were landing in the way they were intended. This might end up being the worst comedy of the year until Hot Tub Time Machine makes its way into the theaters but even that has more humorous trailer moments than Cop Out had through the entire film.
            Comedy is usually about taking the familiar and turning it on its head making fun of what we all know to usually be true. Kevin Smith used to be able to make these sorts of films, either with the customer working environment in Clerks to the relationships in Chasing Amy. But now Smith sits comfortably as a known directing entity and doesn’t have to worry about proving himself anymore when he needed to as an independent artist per se. When one loses the ability to believe in their own work nobody will follow suit, which is why Cop Out is just a film that was made just to be made with no real comedic intention in mind. It results in a less than average experience that has practically no laughs throughout the entire drawn out film. It has boring action, bland dialogue, uninteresting and undeveloped characters, and awkward in between scenes that annoy the audience rather than proceed with the already watered down story. Save yourself the money and don’t see this movie and if you really have the urge to see an actual hilarious cop comedy than just rent Hot Fuzz or Deadly Impact (that last one is a joke just in case you didn’t get it).

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Recommendations: Red Riding, Fish Tank , Mystery Team

Cop Out

I went into this film scared that it was going to ruin Tracy Morgan for  me. I was on the borderline with him, walking this thin line between  "overly-stupid" and "straight-up genius" Go to far to the stupid, and it  stops being funny....not stupid enough, and its not funny enough  sometimes. Actors like Morgan must be careful in their roles as  comedians in how they play that type of role. I was happily surprised to  find that Tracy Morgan made the movie great! For many scenes, he  carried it and made the film THAT much better. Bruce Willis did his fare  share playing the "straight-man" in this cop-duo that reminded me a lot  of the classic films, Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours, and Lethal Weapon.  Jimmy and Paul are too cops, suspended after a shoot-out-gone-wrong and  are desperate to find a missing baseball card that Jimmy (Willis) had  stolen in a pawn shop robbery. Sounds cheesy but as the film went on, it  really flowed well and I never felt like it was some far-fetched story  line. I was genuinely entertained. As the chase goes on they find  themselves working for a bad guy doing his dirty work just to get this  "priceless" baseball card back to pay for Jimmy's daughters wedding and  shutting up the rich step dad who has it out for him.
I really  liked this film. Like I said earlier, Tracy Morgan ROCKED! I could see a  sequel coming out of this because the cop duo had great chemistry and  the film definitely was fun and exciting. All you 80's cop movie fans  will agree!

My Elementary Grading Scale: Exceeding Expectations
1-10:  8

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