Review of Let's Be Cops (2014) by Harry W — 19 May 2015

With a simple concept and an appealing duo of leading cast members, Let's Be Cops sounded like a cheap but fun comedy film.

The script in Let's Be Cops is clearly a thinly written one. With the concept being so simplistic, the film is essentially one comedy sketch extended to feature length. While the sketch has its appeal, there is only so far it can go and the thin nature of the script manages to just keep on getting stretched. The zany situations that the characters end up getting in to lose sight of their comedic edge along the way because of thehe romantic subplot of the story and the fact that the central narrative takes itself way too seriously a bit too often for it own good. Rather than spending time trying to craft creative humour out of the potential of the skit, it gets obsessed being an actual narrative feature which proves to be the downfall of the film. A buddy movie about two guys pretending to be police officers is one you would expect would be about them manipulating their positions more for their own personal game than in actual pursuit of a high profile criminal. The comedy in Let's Be Cops is ultimately just too misplaced because for some reason Luke Greenfield really wants to tell some kind of legitimate action comedy within the story. It isn't even subtextual like in Pineapple Express, it just becomes all to obvious which overwhelms the comedic potential of the narrative. But even then, the comedy in the film is lazily constructed. For one thing, many of the intended humourous moments come from characters randomly throwing swear words into the situations. This generic form of comic relief is not original, it just feels desperate a lot of the time. The film would work better as a YouTube series because then the expectations that come with a feature length film would not be as high and the comedy would seem less misplaced as a result.

Let's Be Cops feels very similar to the recent comedy film Ride Along in the sense that both are buddy comedies relating to the idea of police procedures. But while Ride Along had one character being all dramatic and the other being the comic relief, Let's Be Cops has both characters attempting to battle for the screen to be funnier in their own ways. As a result, Let's Be Cops is honestly a funnier film. But still, the narrative feels ultimately too derivative as a result from both Ride Along and even the recent buddy cop satire 21 Jump Street. Unfortunately, Let's Be Cops joins the ranks of Ride Along as being an example of how not to satirize the buddy cop genre. Ultimately, Let's Be Cops falls onto the charms of its cast, yet it fails to fully support them with a strong script which has them standing alone.

Jake Johnson is ok.You can tell that he's having a lot of fun with the role because he really sinks himself into the part with his natural comic charisma and elements of drama at times, but he is ultimately inconsistent. Much of the time, Jake Johnson's comic charisma feels like a half-assed amalgamation between the common personas of Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel which adds to the derivative nature of the film. Still, he has his charms about him and he does supply the funnier of the two main characters which makes him the most entertaining screen presence. The main positive aspect that Jake Johnson brings to Let'S Be Cops is the quality of his chemistry with Damon Wayans Jr because the two of them are so easily able to bounce off of each other in every scene which builds a strong friendship between them, maintaining elements of both comedy and drama nicely enough from time to time. As lazy and thinly sketched as Jake Johnson's character is written to be, his performance shows that he is unflinchingly dedicated to the part which boasts a sense of determination while showing that he can do films well enough.

Damon Wayans Jr. is a man with clear comic potential, but the fact is that he gets too caught up playing a wimpy character in Let's Be Cops to capitalise on the heavily racially stereotypical comedy that runs in his family. The fact that he attempts to go for his own angle is admirable, but it just proves to be a rather irritating one much of the time, particularly when he is up against the more lighthearted nature of Jake Johnson. Though he has moments of charms, Damon Wayans Jr. maintains a gimmick which rarely transcends a repetitive nature. He shows off a sense that he has the potentail to bring some laughs to the screen, but that is only when his character reaches the point of actually developing a domineering persona. The transition is not entertaining, but the end result is. Yet it should not take this long for one of the main characters in a comedy film for audiences to grow fond of. He has to be appreciated from the beginning. All in all Damon Wayans Jr. Proves his worth as an actor by playing the role confidently, but his actual comedic value proves to be rather sporadic in the end.

The presence of Rob Riggle is welcome as usual. Due to his real life status as a retired United States Marine Corps Reserve Officer, Rob Riggle has proven multiple times that he can milk a hard exterior for a lot of comedic value, and Let's Be Cops is no exception. Teamed up with both Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr., Rob Riggle makes himself a welcome presence in Let's Be Cops and is able to take his role very seriously without impeding on the intended comedic nature of the film without problem. He actually steps into the role incredibly confidently and brings his hard edge along easily.

So though there is mild value brought on by the cast of Let's Be Cops, the story takes itself too seriously and as a result the already lame gags wear thin very quickly.