“Cop Out” is the perfect example of a bad movie that you can’t help but enjoy. Not a truly bad film like “Never Back Down” which was so horrific that it was hilarious, but more in the sense of a film like “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” which is funny due to its absurdity. While “Cop Out” may never become a cult classic like “Bill and Ted,” it contains some very funny moments surrounded by a lot of nonsense.
Veteran NYPD officers Jimmy Monroe (Willis) and Paul Hodges (Morgan) have been partners for a long time. After a botched sting operation, both men are suspended without pay. Jimmy’s daughter is soon to be married, but he cannot afford to pay for her wedding without being able to work. He attempts to sell an extremely rare baseball card that can make his the wedding affordable, but he is robbed at gunpoint. Jimmy and Paul decide to take the law into their own hands to track down the stolen card. Unforeseen circumstances unfold and they are soon caught in the middle of a large crime organization.
This movie was made for Morgan. The best scenes in this film all contained him acting like a complete idiot. His level of absolute absurdity is very impressive, and I don’t think this film would have worked with any other actor. Bruce Willis has his moments, but he is overshadowed by Morgan the entire film. Sean William Scott is pretty funny in this film, but his screen time is lacking. Ana de la Reguera as Ann does a decent job with such a small role, and Rashida Jones adds some laughs. Guillermo Diaz is awful as a villain, and his role is exactly the same as in the show “Weeds.”
Because of the coarse language and sexual situations depicted in his films, Kevin Smith is one of the most controversial directors of the past twenty years. “Clerks” and “Mallrats” are looked at as some of the best comedies of the 90s. That being said, this is not one of his better films, but this is also the first film he directed that he did not write himself. It lacks the witty dialogue, and off-the-wall situations that made Kevin Smith a respected name. Robb and Mark Cullen wrote this mess, but they did manage to squeeze out some hysterical moments.
I give Harold Faltermeyer a lot of credit for making a hysterical homage to past films through the score. Every song could be traced back to “Lethal Weapon” and “Beverly Hills Cop.” It’s ridiculousness made me laugh throughout the entire film. The cinematography by David Klein bothered me at some moments of this film. Numerous shots seem to be in weird positions. The action sequences are done well even though they are not a large aspect of this film, and the final shoot out is exciting.
The plot is very weak, and has been used a thousand times over, but that is the point of the film. There truly is not one minute of this film you can take seriously, but it still manages to have hilarious dialogue that saves the film. The twenty minutes of filler is also unnecessary even if it contains a couple of funny lines. This honestly could have been a 70 minute film and still pack the same punch.
Overall, this is just a mediocre comedy that exceeds with toilet humor and over the top acting. “Cop Out” contains some very raunchy dialogue that should make most young men laugh, but it is definitely not for everyone. It is not worth rushing to the theater to see but possibly a rental.
