Upon its release, Let's Be Cops got negative reviews. It wasn't panned, people and critics just said it simply wasn't good. There is a group of people that loved this. Many cult classics were hated at first, then eventually get a fan base. I am part of that fan base.
What people really need to know about Let's Be Cops is that it's not a dim-witted comedy. Dim- witted comedies are like Strange Wilderness, Brothers Soloman, and Dude, Where's My Car? Those are plagued with dumb characters and a lack of intelligence and heart. Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. are the main characters who are much smarter than the average dim-witted character. Johnson is pretty close, but not quite. I will admit this movie isn't very funny, nor funny as a typical dim-witted comedy. Perhaps it would have been funnier if it had more dim- witted elements and characters. Perhaps not.
Let's Be Cops is about two thirty-year-old best friends, Ryan O'Malley and Justin Miller (Johnson, Wayans), who live in Los Angeles for opportunity, but think it's time to go back to Ohio. Justin works at a video game company where he is a big pushover; Ryan doesn't work and and aspires to nothing, just wishing he could play pro-football. When they intercept real police uniforms, they act like real cops, then get involved in a high-profile drug case. The first little bit when they dress up as cops and start acting like them is pretty funny because we all know everybody would try to abuse their privilege. Then the funniness starts to die down, but that is when the brains of the movie come.
What makes Let's Be Cops so appealing that so many people miss is what the police work does to Ryan and Justin. For Ryan, it gives him a sense of enjoyment and pride which he hasn't had in a long time. For Justin, it gives him confidence and helps with his assertiveness. That is what the movie is all about: finding your true self. Is the movie unrealistic and silly? Of course, but that's what makes it a nice watch. Two losers put on police outfits and something changes inside themselves. They find the respect they've always longed for.
3/4
What people really need to know about Let's Be Cops is that it's not a dim-witted comedy. Dim- witted comedies are like Strange Wilderness, Brothers Soloman, and Dude, Where's My Car? Those are plagued with dumb characters and a lack of intelligence and heart. Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. are the main characters who are much smarter than the average dim-witted character. Johnson is pretty close, but not quite. I will admit this movie isn't very funny, nor funny as a typical dim-witted comedy. Perhaps it would have been funnier if it had more dim- witted elements and characters. Perhaps not.
Let's Be Cops is about two thirty-year-old best friends, Ryan O'Malley and Justin Miller (Johnson, Wayans), who live in Los Angeles for opportunity, but think it's time to go back to Ohio. Justin works at a video game company where he is a big pushover; Ryan doesn't work and and aspires to nothing, just wishing he could play pro-football. When they intercept real police uniforms, they act like real cops, then get involved in a high-profile drug case. The first little bit when they dress up as cops and start acting like them is pretty funny because we all know everybody would try to abuse their privilege. Then the funniness starts to die down, but that is when the brains of the movie come.
What makes Let's Be Cops so appealing that so many people miss is what the police work does to Ryan and Justin. For Ryan, it gives him a sense of enjoyment and pride which he hasn't had in a long time. For Justin, it gives him confidence and helps with his assertiveness. That is what the movie is all about: finding your true self. Is the movie unrealistic and silly? Of course, but that's what makes it a nice watch. Two losers put on police outfits and something changes inside themselves. They find the respect they've always longed for.
3/4