100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 99: Let's Be Cops

Director: Luke Greenfield

Genre: Comedy/ Action

Runtime: 104 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Damon Wayans Jr., Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev, James D’Arcy, Andy Garcia

Description: Two struggling pals, Justin (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Ryan (Jake Johnson) dress as police officers for a costume party and become neighborhood sensations. But when these newly-minted "heroes" get tangled in a real life web of mobsters and dirty detectives, they must put their fake badges on the line.

Review: This time, not two cops undercover as citizens, but two friends going undercover and pretending to be cops. Cop movies have this timeless formula that can be mixed and matched with countless of genres. Most of the time it’s two totally different characters that have to team up. That’s not any different here, but this time it’s two buddies impersonating cops and they choose to work together.

First we have Ryan, who doesn’t have a job. He could have been a professional football player, but after an injury he never picked up the ball again. His best friend Justin works for a gaming company, where he is trying to sell his game, without any luck. When they are going to a school reunion, where they have to go in costume, the decide to dress up as cops. Soon they realize that those uniforms have big advantages and gives them a big confidence boost.

The strongest point of the movie is the chemistry between the two leading men. Both actors are masters at portraying the clumsy, frustrated losers. Although the buddy cop movie is sometime getting old, it never bothers you here. The comedy finds a balance between funny and obscene. Sometimes the jokes are a bit predictable and obvious, but the easy likeable characters played by Johnson and Wayans Jr. make up for it.

The concept of “Let’s Be Cops” is very pleasant. It’s not a very intelligent comedy, but that’s not something you should expect. For a movie I didn’t have high expectations of in the first place, it was very enjoyable and funny. It had a strong opening and a strong ending. Some minor flaws, but you can forgive those.

Rating: 3,5/ 5