Take 12: Cop Out

I was so excited when I saw the previews for this movie.  I am a "Die Hard" fan of Bruce Willis since his Dave days on Moonlighting.  I even loved him in Hudson Hawk, which I can assure you is a very small club.  This movie looked like a similar sort of "funny" vehicle for him.

I enjoy Tracy Morgan's crazy "act" even if it seems he always plays basically the same character.

And had I known that Kevin Smith, who immortalized the Eden Prairie Center in "Mallrats" and I from the beginning was a fan of "Jersey Girl" (how could you not love the late George Carlin or the Will Smith cameo in this flick?), was directing; I would have been at the movies on opening day to see "Cop Out".

So, maybe I was lucky I didn't know.  I probably would have been even more disappointed had I seen this movie opening day.  I'm trying to think of one...ahhh yes...there was one moment where I genuinely laughed out loud.  It had to do with a "Die Hard" movie reference, which I don't wish to spoil, just in case you still wish to see this movie after what I write.

Speaking of Die Hard, I thought for sure Die Hard 4 would be lame.  I liked it a lot.  And I thought Kevin Smith was awesome in the movie, as well.  Perhaps that's why Willis and Smith thought they would collaborate well together.  And as much as I love Mr. Willis, I actually enjoyed Kevin Smith's long time collaborating actor, Jason Lee more in this movie.  In my mind he was as welcome of a surprise as Kevin Smith's performance in Die Hard 4.  Both performances left me wanting more.

Anyway, as I have mentioned in other reviews, perhaps if I hadn't been so psyched and this was a tv movie choice at a time when despite all those channels this appeared to be the ONLY thing on, I may have liked this movie more.

One of my favorite Vince Vaughn lines from the movie Old School comes to mind as I finish this reel review, "You're better than that." (which apparently he also says in Fred Claus).

Movie 411:
Movie:  Cop Out
Screenplay Writer:  Mark Cullen, Robb Cullen
Director:  Kevin Smith
Film Editor:  Kevin Smith
Plot:  A comedy about a veteran NYPD cop whose rare baseball card is stolen. Since it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, he recruits his partner to track down the thief, a memorabilia-obsessed gangster.
Cast (top 3 listed from IMDB, click here to see more):  Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Juan Carlos Hernandez