Cop Out

Cop Out

Starring Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, and Seann William Scott
Directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks)
Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violence and brief sexuality
Appropriate for ages 18+
    
    Bruce Willis is a cop whose prize baseball card is stolen just as he was about to sell it to pay for his daughter’s wedding.  Although they were both suspended, he recruits his partner, Tracy Morgan, to help track down the memorabilia-obsessed drug kingpin that possesses it.  

    I am still puzzled as to what exactly this film is.  There are times when it takes itself seriously, but then there are many scenes that are straight out parody, so much so that I thought it should have been called Cop Movie instead of the chosen title.  Now if the film had stuck with this formula, and kept Bruce Willis in the lead, it could have been pretty decent, but when it suddenly tries to take itself seriously and make itself into a cop action comedy, it becomes too ridiculous to work.  Whether it’s the interrogation where Morgan pretends he is in the movie Jaws or when he is sitting in his chief’s office wearing a cell phone suit, the stupidity works if you stick with it and keep making fun of films like Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop, but when the consistency drops, the whole thing doesn’t make sense.  Unfortunately, this movie just kept a horrendous plot with an ill-conceived storyline and the hope that the laughs would keep the seats filled.

    Fortunately for the movie, there are some funny moments.  Morgan is a really talented comedian and probably deserves a leading role, maybe one better than this, but he is basically a gun-toting version of the Tracy you know from 30 Rock.  The real scene stealer in this film is Seann William Scott who turns in a great performance as a thief they have interactions with.  He gets most of the laughs in the film and really comes across as one of the stars, although he puts out very little screen time.  Also good for the comedy here is director Kevin Smith, who knows how to craft a joke better than he knows how to craft a story.  While he didn’t write this film, it feels like one he could have written, aside from the stronger production values. C