Let's Be Cops

Expectations:
New Girl is one of the funniest shows on television. In fact, the second season of the Zooey Deschanel comedy topped my list of the best television from the 2012-2013 season (here is that list). Unfortunately, so many potential male viewers are turned off by the poorly constructed title of the show, because it has the world "girl" in it. Fortunately, the show features four hilarious male characters that are guaranteed to make you laugh, regardless of your gender! Two of those characters (Nick and Coach) are played by the stars of Let's Be Cops, Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. Now, I'd like to be able to say that the trailer for Let's Be Cops was hilarious and engaging, but, to be honest, the only reason I went to watch this film was to see Nick and Coach in movie form. So, needless to say, my expectations were quite low...

Plot:
With comedies of the caliber of Let's Be Cops, you don't expect much from a plot-perspective! As expected, Let's Be Cops was quite shallow and lifeless, with pretty much nothing to accent its jokes. Thankfully, the jokes weren't all that bad. In fact, I laughed at the stupid humor, throughout, but I will say that many of those laughs were brought on by my familiarity with the actors. I think most of you would agree that, if you like a comedic actor or actress, you are likely to enjoy the majority of their work, regardless of its depth or success. That said, Let's Be Cops had very little to offer anyone who doesn't enjoy the humor of Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr.

Characters:
However one-dimensional lead characters Ryan and Justin turned out to be, I still liked them. If only the filmmakers hadn't added the emotional, best-friend moments to this goofy, stupid film, it would have been alright. Why do comedic filmmakers feel the need to add dull emotion to films that are engulfed in fart and sex jokes?!? It's so dang frustrating!

Negatives:
It was quite evident that this film was intended to be THE film that turned Nina Dobrev into an ADULT movie star (like grown-up... not pornography), and she totally bombed. Sure, the character (Josie) was absolutely horrible, but the only part of Nina that did any actual acting in this film were her legs. Additionally, Natasha Leggero's Annie was an awkward addition to Let's Be Cops, with her crack-head mentality. Ryan's attraction to her was quite unreal, leaving me baffled.

Positives:
As I've already said, the humor of Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. just connects with me, particularly that of Johnson. As for Wayans, I actually enjoyed his Let's Be Cops character more than his character on New Girl. Johnson played his typical couch-potato, but Wayans played the nerd, contrasting his character on New Girl, who is an actual "Coach." However, the best performance of the entire film was given by Keegan-Michael Key, who played some sort of Hispanic(?) drug-mover named Pupa. The character was entirely over-the-top, but I laughed in spite of those issues.

Conclusion:
Let's Be Cops was about as bad as expected, but it could have been much worse! Hopefully, for the sake of Johnson and Wayans' careers, the film will be a monetary success, but I'm not counting on that, either. Unless you watch New Girl, like me, I would suggest steering clear of Let's Be Cops. Instead, take those couple of hours to watch a few episodes of New Girl. You will love it! Even if you are a dude! Also, check out Jake Johnson in the Aubrey Plaza-led Safety Not Guaranteed. It was definitely one of my favorite films from 2012, and I think you will enjoy it as well! I give Let's Be Cops 1.55 out of 5 stars.