Let’s Be Cops (2014) – Review

Where to watch Let’s Be Cops

2 Stars

I have grown tired of the repeated pairing of a wise-cracking over-grown adolescent, with his responsible straight-man partner in comedies, This was the outline established long-ago in Stripes and continued through the dreary Vince Vaughn movies of late. Now we have Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans,Jr. getting in on the Murray/Ramis, Vaughn/Wilson schtick, and its like the tracing of a Xeroxed copy. Outside of a gross-out gaga and a prolonged drug sequence the movie is devoid of laughs for long stretches and slips into gooey sentimentality and over-blown violence too often.

Best friends Ryan (Jake Johnson) and Justin (Damon Wayans Jr.) are going nowhere in life or their respective careers. This point is painfully driven home when attend a college reunion and realize they are overgrown adolescents. Dressed as police in the mistaken belief that they were to attend a costume party, Ryan and Justin find that the uniforms earn them much respect and attention. Although Justin is weary of the charade, Ryan decides to continue and treats the situation as reality. This of course puts both men and partners in increasingly dangerous and un-funny situations. The one plus is the attraction Justin strikes up with a local merchant being harassed by the mafia syndicate shaking sown the neighborhood.

Borrowing the basic love story from Adam Sandler’s Zohan and mixing in the inverse elements of 21 Jump Street, Let’s Be Cops feels scattershot and unwieldy in comparison. Biggest WTF? casting of 2014 goes to Andy Garcia as the corrupt federal agent, this had to help pay his mortgage. As Wayans Jr. goes gamely through the proceedings, with scene after scene failing to connect, he becomes a spokesman for the audience. He remarks, as a bad guys descends on him and Johnson, ”I feel like Danny Glover before he got too old for this shit.” I felt i grew too old for this shit as the movie wore on.

Director: Luke Greenfield
Stras: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr.,Nina Dobrev