You ever watch a movie that contains characters who don't in any way, shape, or form resemble real people? Well, this is one of those movies. It's blatantly obvious that the screenwriters drew no inspiration from real life, and instead cut and pasted elements of other films. You know, like any lazy screenwriter.
I despised this film from the get-go. It opens with an interrogation scene, where Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan play (surprise, surprise!) Good Cop, Bad Cop. Morgan rushes into the interrogation room, spouting a multitude of famous one-liners to the suspect. Now, why in God's name, would a detective who served nine years on the force do something like that? There's no method to his madness. After he runs out of quotes from action movies, he starts quoting movies like "Jaws." How does that make any sense? I know what you're thinking. "It's a comedy!" Still, every joke has to contain an element of truth. Just watch Eddie Murphy's portrayal of Axel Foley in the "Beverly Hills Cop" movies. Though his character is over-the-top and exaggerated, he's still believable as a cop. Because you're able to buy into the reality, you're able to laugh.
Kevin Smith's films all have their imperfections. However, one word you can never use to describe his films is "unoriginal." "Cop Out" is an exception to that rule. I don't think I can name a single moment that wasn't ripped off from other films, mainly buddy cop flicks. It's bad enough that it contains the excruciatingly stale premise of a stuck-up white cop and his loudmouthed black partner teaming up to crack a case. No, we also have the smug rival detectives (played by Kevin Pollak and Adam Brody), who constantly bust their chops. The villains are stereotypical Latin gang members. There's even a scene in which the main villain guns one of his henchmen down in a church, praying to God before he commits the evil deed. Seann William Scott plays an obnoxious suspect, who tags along with the two detectives and ultimately assists them in nabbing the villains. Willis plays a divorced dad, and his daughter's new stepfather (Jason Lee) is a pretentious tool. Stop me when you spot anything, and I mean ANYTHING, original.
Morgan is obviously a talented comedian, as we've gathered from his work on "Saturday Night Live." However, like many in-your-face stand-up comedians, he needs to be kept on a leash. There were way too many moments, where Smith allowed Morgan too much freedom. There's one scene, where he jabbers on for about three minutes about his resistance to take a dump anywhere outside of his home. Wow. Hilarious.
Willis is convincing in his role, because...well...he plays a cop in every other movie! Unfortunately, he's not given much to do, as Morgan constantly upstages him with his unfunny shtick. If the screenwriters had any brain cells, they'd realize that it's just as important to give the straight man some funny moments. Just watch "48 Hours"! Nick Nolte had almost as many amusing moments as Eddie Murphy. On account of that, Willis appears bored throughout the film. Who knows? Maybe he signed on for the gig simply to return the favor to Kevin Smith, who did a cameo in "Live Free or Die Hard." I can't stress how unbelievably awful this movie is. This movie proves that Smith should definitely stick to directing his own scripts. As much as I like the guy, directing is not his strong suit. You watch a Martin Scorcese flick that wasn't written by him, and you can still tell it's a Scorcese flick. Without Smith's sharp and witty dialog, the film may as well have been made by some hack TV director.
I despised this film from the get-go. It opens with an interrogation scene, where Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan play (surprise, surprise!) Good Cop, Bad Cop. Morgan rushes into the interrogation room, spouting a multitude of famous one-liners to the suspect. Now, why in God's name, would a detective who served nine years on the force do something like that? There's no method to his madness. After he runs out of quotes from action movies, he starts quoting movies like "Jaws." How does that make any sense? I know what you're thinking. "It's a comedy!" Still, every joke has to contain an element of truth. Just watch Eddie Murphy's portrayal of Axel Foley in the "Beverly Hills Cop" movies. Though his character is over-the-top and exaggerated, he's still believable as a cop. Because you're able to buy into the reality, you're able to laugh.
Kevin Smith's films all have their imperfections. However, one word you can never use to describe his films is "unoriginal." "Cop Out" is an exception to that rule. I don't think I can name a single moment that wasn't ripped off from other films, mainly buddy cop flicks. It's bad enough that it contains the excruciatingly stale premise of a stuck-up white cop and his loudmouthed black partner teaming up to crack a case. No, we also have the smug rival detectives (played by Kevin Pollak and Adam Brody), who constantly bust their chops. The villains are stereotypical Latin gang members. There's even a scene in which the main villain guns one of his henchmen down in a church, praying to God before he commits the evil deed. Seann William Scott plays an obnoxious suspect, who tags along with the two detectives and ultimately assists them in nabbing the villains. Willis plays a divorced dad, and his daughter's new stepfather (Jason Lee) is a pretentious tool. Stop me when you spot anything, and I mean ANYTHING, original.
Morgan is obviously a talented comedian, as we've gathered from his work on "Saturday Night Live." However, like many in-your-face stand-up comedians, he needs to be kept on a leash. There were way too many moments, where Smith allowed Morgan too much freedom. There's one scene, where he jabbers on for about three minutes about his resistance to take a dump anywhere outside of his home. Wow. Hilarious.
Willis is convincing in his role, because...well...he plays a cop in every other movie! Unfortunately, he's not given much to do, as Morgan constantly upstages him with his unfunny shtick. If the screenwriters had any brain cells, they'd realize that it's just as important to give the straight man some funny moments. Just watch "48 Hours"! Nick Nolte had almost as many amusing moments as Eddie Murphy. On account of that, Willis appears bored throughout the film. Who knows? Maybe he signed on for the gig simply to return the favor to Kevin Smith, who did a cameo in "Live Free or Die Hard." I can't stress how unbelievably awful this movie is. This movie proves that Smith should definitely stick to directing his own scripts. As much as I like the guy, directing is not his strong suit. You watch a Martin Scorcese flick that wasn't written by him, and you can still tell it's a Scorcese flick. Without Smith's sharp and witty dialog, the film may as well have been made by some hack TV director.