Let's Be Cops

Let's Be Cops

Starring Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev

Directed by Luke Greenfield

Synopsis:
Ryan (Jake Johnson) is a former college football star who suffered an injury and is now unemployed and for all accounts a loser.  His roommate and best friend Justin (Damon Wayans Jr.) is a video game developer who doesn't have the courage to stand up for himself and have his ideas heard.

One night they're invited to a costume party (which turns out to be a masquerade party, but according to Ryan, they're "all the same"), and they go dressed as cops.  When they leave the party they learn they draw attention from the public, and it gives them a sense of belonging and power, so they decide to keep up the charade.  Ryan is more into the farce than Justin, going as far as watching YouTube videos, buying an old police car and even getting a police scanner and real sirens.

At first its fun and games, but then the guys come into contact with Mossi (James D'Arcy), who is the local mobster kingpin who holds a vice-like grip on the city.  Justin wants to end everything before it gets out of control, but Ryan keeps on, working like a cop to find out information on Mossi that could put him away, but uncovers a bigger conspiracy than the two wayward friends could ever solve themselves.

Review:
While there's some genuinely funny moments, "Let's Be Cops" is the general run-of-the-mill cop buddy comedy that you've seen at least once in the last year, and unfortunately adds nothing new to it that makes it stick out.  You got the two friends, the seemingly overwhelming problem, the bumbling activity of said friends to solve the problem, the big moment when the problem blows up in their face, and the consequential ending where everything is tied up perfectly.

Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. are great on "The New Girl," but here they're just repeating lines mostly.  At least four times in the film Wayans' character keeps telling Johnson's character that they have to quit.  There's other lines that seem very repetitive and drags the film along, and mostly they're not that funny.  Thankfully there's the organic chemistry between the leads, but it doesn't ultimately hold up with an incredibly weak script.

Summary:
Funny, but not hilarious.  A film you'll easily forget soon after you see it.

My Rating: B