Movie Review: Cop Out

Cop Out was directed by Kevin Smith, which stars Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as its main characters. It is a comedy about two New York City police partners who are desperately trying to reclaim a rare, mint condition, baseball card while having to deal with their own police suspension and a drug lord trying to assert himself as the undisputed king of cocaine for the entire east coast of the United States.

There are some who will criticize my grade for this movie, but let me explain myself. First, you should realize that this movie is not destined for the Oscars. Second, a movie’s primary role is to entertain the audience. Third, let’s not forget that Tracey Morgan is more of a supporting actor rather than the lead role. Anyone reviewer who came into this film expecting cinematic gold should no longer review movies. The expectations for this film should have been medium to low to begin with. After establishing that this film was indeed a Kevin Smith movie, said reviewer should than only be concerned with this one question: was it entertaining? It should be common knowledge that when you watch a movie like this, you’re pretty much not going to see a thought provoking film that challenges your beliefs, or one that keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to guess the next twist in the plot; so lighten up.

The movie was, in fact, entertaining. Before I move on, I would like to say that I am in no way a fan of Tracy Morgan. I’ve never found him to be really funny. Instead, I find him to be annoying most of the time. But as a fair reviewer, I must admit that he was pretty decent as Bruce Willis’ partner. I think what Kevin Smith discovered was that Tracy Morgan, in small doses, works best as a supporting actor. Morgan’s comedic style was sprinkled throughout the film, which helped supplement the actions and behavior of Willis’ character. There were moments when Morgan became slightly annoying, but Smith was able to direct Morgan’s energy very well.

The plot, as stated before, is not going to win an Oscar for “Best Original Screenplay.” But, it is a good story that entertains and doesn’t require too much thinking. And it’s a good movie for anyone who wants to escape real life for a couple of hours. If a film can help you forget about your responsibilities and give you a few laughs for a little while, then it’s okay in my book. The acting was decent, Tracy Morgan was not overbearing, there’s many funny part throughout the film, and there was plenty of action. Could this just be one of those rare guilty pleasure movie where a turn a blind eye? Perhaps, but check it out for yourselves and don’t prejudge. This was a good “buddy cop” movie. I would recommend seeing Cop Out, and I would even recommend seeing it with a friend.

Fanboyz Grade: B-