Cop Out

Synopsis: Two NYPD detectives must retrieve a valuable baseball card.

Release Date: February 26, 2010     MPAA Rating: PG-13

Genre(s): Comedy, Action

Film Review

To put it quite simply…the movie does not work. It has a storyline, about a baseball card that gets stolen, that branches out into so many directions your focus is forever lost. One second it’s all about the card and the next a gang of drug dealers. The buddy cops, Willis’ Jimmy and Morgans’ Paul, are a definite odd couple in the worst way as the differences in their characters and delivery do not complement but actually alienate. Paul is such a simpleton you are shocked they allow him to carry a gun. I suppose that in itself is a joke against the police force but still, you almost feel sorry for him and his inability for intelligent and skillful thinking. As for Willis’ Jimmy, he must have forgotten this is a comedy as I fail to remember anything remotely funny come from him or if he ever cracked a smile. The movie may have its comedic moments but as a whole it is not worth the time it takes to watch the trailer.

The repetitiveness of the editing style in this film is what draws me to have to make a comment. Edited by Kevin Smith, who is also the Director, each scene simply repeats the same cuts as the one before it – almost incessantly. We have a shot-reverse-shot (SRS) of close-ups, followed by a medium shot, and then back to the SRS close-ups, and then repeat. This is all well and good to use in a film, and it is the most common technique. Yet when a viewer begins to notice that all they ever see of the characters, the surroundings, etc. is the same framing and composition it gets old; very old, very fast. There are of course scenes where Smith deviates from this formula but they are rare and usually involve action sequences. He throws in now and again a hand-held camera medium or close-up shot but they simply appear choppy and out of place when being cut with the other very static and staged material. All in all the editing may not be horrible, but it is overly simplistic and lacks any sort of creativity while adhering to formula in a far too extreme method.

This is a buddy cop movie. So why is it then that the two cops have the least amount of chemistry than any of the other characters together? Willis’ Jimmy looks more or less annoyed the entire time with his partner, Paul (Morgan), and appears like he would rather be anywhere else then sharing the screen with him. Their comedic abilities are completely mismatched and quite frankly they are a bore together. On the other hand, Paul and Dave (Seann William Scott) are incredible in their short time together. They bring out the best in one another and have you laughing with their antics. It is hard to enjoy the film after seeing what Paul and Jimmy are like together, and then Paul and Dave, as you cannot help but wish Jimmy would take a bullet and Dave would step in to assist Paul with solving the case.

If it was possible to take snippets of a film and watch them individually simply to laugh for an instant this would be the film to do just that. Be it one particular line, a small scene, just a tiny reaction shot or even the interaction between two characters Cop Out delivers laughs. Even if they are what we may consider that of the low-brow comedy scale. It is a mash up of potty jokes, simpleton antics from the comedian Tracy Morgan as Paul Hodges, and straight up stupidity from the likes of many of the other characters. It is as if all of the actors, and characters in turn, know that this movie cannot aspire to be anything worth watching, so they compensate by throwing in anything that could be considered remotely funny. The comedy award, if there was such a thing, has to be awarded to Seann William Scott as Dave. He has possibly the smallest part in the entire cast of characters but his character is unforgettable and his comedic timing impeccable. If this was a short film of only 15 minutes and the entire duration consisted only of his character it would be entirely enjoyable. This is not the case so you will have to sit through all the moments and lines that do not work in order to get the small pieces that do, and will, have you laughing.

Cast and Crew

• Director(s): Kevin Smith
• Producer(s): Robb CullenMark CullenBruce Willis (Jimmy Monroe)
• Screenwriter(s): Tracy MorganJason LeeSeann William Scott
• Story: Adam Brody
• Cast: Michelle TrachtenbergRashida Jones Kevin SmithDavid A. KleinMichael Shaw
• Editor(s): Juliet Polcsa
• Cinematographer: Harold Faltermeyer
• Production Designer(s):
• Costume Designer: 
• Casting Director(s): 
• Music Score: 
• Music Performed By: 
• Country Of Origin: USA