Directed by Kevin Smith, Cop Out is the project that allowed him to once again work with Bruce Willis. If anyone remembers the third Evening with Kevin Smith DVD, Bruce Willis opened the door after Die Hard 4, but Smith “had nothing”… I guess that problem was quickly rectified. Originally titled A Couple Of Dicks, Cop Out is a throwback to 80s buddy cop films. To some degree he achieved a little bit of that 80s glow. The cast comprised of Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan and a small appearance by Sean William Scott all did a fairly good job with the material. Willis plays… Willis, the same way he’s always played himself. Was he right for the role, sure. Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) is funny, and does a fairly good job, but his comedy stylings dry up prematurely as his character rambles on, trying hard to milk every possible laugh. Sean William Scott didn’t actually have enough screen time to be fully appreciated.. hence the little credit roll bit at the end. Although I’m not a huge fan of Kevin Smith’s overly intellectual dialogue bottoming out with fart and dick jokes, Robb and Mark Cullen’s script(Kevin Smith didn’t write this one folks) is a good reason for him to better stick with what he knows. Cop Out has been done a dozen times before… and better. Saying its a throwback doesn’t excuse it from mediocrity.

This is NOT a Kevin Smith film (at least not what we’re used to), and as far as 80s buddy cop films go… passable, but nowhere near the classics we grew up with. Overall, Cop Out isn’t a bad movie, it has its moments with a few laugh out loud scenes, but at points it feels like its trying too hard and the jokes can run just a little long. But what do I know, I still think Zack and Miri Make A Porno is his best film to date!

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