Jimmy and Paul (Willis and Morgan) are two long-time partners who get suspended from the force for botching an investigation. In need of money for Jimmy’s daughter’s wedding, Jimmy, with help/hinderance from Paul, gets dragged into a messy plot involving a Mexican drug lord (Díaz), a stolen car and a rare baseball card. An entertaining love letter to the buddy cop genre.
As I said in my Zack and Miri review, I’ve always been a fan of Kevin Smith’s movies, and Cop Out hasn’t changed that opinion. If you haven’t liked his previous works, you’ll probably want to sit this one out, because all of his hallmarks are present: foul language, bizarre but amusing conversations, pop-culture (*cough*Star Wars*cough*) references and Jason Lee. The cast seems to be having fun as they tear through the tenets of the genre, even down to the 80s-style synth soundtrack (courtesy of Faltermeyer, who scored such films as Beverly Hills Cop and Fletch). Willis and Morgan make a surprisingly good team, with Willis as a capable (if mischievous) straight man, and Morgan proving he’s a better comic than I previously thought. Sure, the pacing gets a bit sluggish in places, and some of the jokes don’t land, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. And sometimes, isn’t being entertained enough?
