When I was a junior in high school I worked for a video store. Little did I know I was in training to do the glorious job of criticizing films for Devil’s Advocates. We were allowed free rentals and use of the preview copy rack. These were the screener studios sent us so that we would buy copies and rent out their movie. One day I find a weird titles movie called Clerks. It was vulgar, funny, and in black and white. Two slacker clerks and their adventures when one wasn’t even supposed to be there that day. That began my love of Kevin Smith films. Naturally I wanted to see Cop Out, or as it was originally titled Couple of Dicks. That being said onto the movie.

Cop Out is a traditional buddy cop film. Acting as a homage to the Lethal Weapons, with a hint of 48 Hours. Bruce Willis plays the straight man to Morgan’s comedic partner. Bruce still plays exasperated well. Morgan still plays stupid funny well. They are on the hunt for a baseball card collectable, in my opinion flimsy premise. But then again, who am I? The two join forces and hilarity ensues. Or does it? It really doesn’t. Smith is branching out into new territory but trying to stick with his original style. In my opinion it doesn’t work. Morgan shouts at one time “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for”. Yeah I get it Kevin you like Star Wars. In my opinion it was a bit of a miss. It was better than Jersey Girl, I can say that.

In the end Cop Out felt like a Kevin Smith movie just no a good one. Having not actually wrote it, his direction made it feel like he could of. However it would have felt more like a first draft, instead of a finished product. My advice next time just let him write it. I give it two and a half pitchforks.

It was a popcorn movie that tried a little too hard to be a popcorn movie. I hope that makes sense. Rent it for a day when nothing is on. If you’re a Smith fan you might like it, but you’re loyalty stems from a brighter time (i.e. Dogma, Chasing Amy).