Where to watch Cops and Robbersons
1 1/2 Stars
When police discover that a mob hitman has moved in next door to the Robbersons, they want to find out what he is up to. So they set up a stakeout in the Robbersons’ home. Hard-nosed, tough-as-nails Jake Stone is assigned to the stakeout. But now it’s a question of whether Jake can last long enough to capture the bad guys. The Robbersons want to help so they are driving him crazy.
Cops and Robbersons lacks comedic energy, outrageous circumstances, and funny dialogue, leaving its cast afloat in a sinking film. Stallone takes a lot of shit for Stop or My Mom Will Shoot, but Cops and Robbersons is every bit as awful as Sly’s notorious flop. Yet this movie rarely gets mentioned alongside titles routinely criticized as being among the worst ever released. It’s not that Cops and Robbersons is unwatchable; it’s just uninspired, routinely plotted, and acted with little enthusiasm by Chevy Chase or Jack Palance.
This film is particularly disappointing as it marks the third collaboration between director Michael Ritchie and lead actor Chase, and Cops and Robbersons is unquestionably the weakest of their collaborations. The filmmakers could have chosen to satirize the genre or heighten the stakes of the concept, but instead, they decided to tell an obvious story humorously. Cops and Robbersons is a film that lacks interest, comedic invention, or a reason for existing outside of pairing Chase and Palance on the marketing materials.
Directed by: Michael Ritchie
Written by: Bernie Somers
Starring: Chevy Chase, Jack Palance, Dianne Wiest