Thursday, 14 August 2014

Review: 'Let's Be Cops' Starring Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Nina Dobrev & Andy Garcia


From the title alone, "Let's Be Cops" makes it clear its ambitious are slight, with the comedy not asking much of the audience except to sit back and let the premise of two guys pretending to be police officers go wild. But any goodwill will likely depend on how much they can tolerate a production this lazy. Not resembling a movie as much as a series of loosely connected skits that eventually cohere into something resembling a motion picture, filled with a handful of odd continuity issues, dangling plot threads, and most importantly, the problem of being deeply unfunny, 'Let's Be Cops' is a fine example of what happens when filmmakers rely too heavily on the potential chemistry of the cast, rather than giving actors something decent on the page to work with.
Luke Greenfield, who has quickly lost whatever credit he had for directing the better-than-it-should-have-been "The Girl Next Door" a decade ago (which he notably did not write), is the cowriter and director of this film, starring "New Girl" duo Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr.. Respectively, they play Ryan and Justin (though they might as well by playing Nick and Coach), two best buds who moved from Ohio to make their dreams come true in Los Angeles (shot in Atlanta) by the time they hit thirty, only to find the future didn't turn out as planned. Former college football hero Ryan is coasting on the paltry money he made from a television ad for herpes, while Justin has an unsatisfying job at a video game company where his pitches are ignored. The cop uniforms emerge when the pair dress up as police officers for their college reunion, thinking it's a costume party when it's actually a masquerade. Embarrassed by their lack of upward mobility, they leave the party with their gear still on, but suddenly notice they command a newfound respect and sexual appeal when wearing a badge and a gun. And you know what happens next....

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