Let's Be Cops (2014) Poster

(2014)

User Reviews

Review this title
163 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
7/10
Let's Be Cops is that stupid cop movie that most critics aren't gonna like, but I did
RforFilm24 September 2014
Everyone has played cops and robbers at some point. This is the most basic of imagination games a child could play not matter what part of the world or even time period they came from. It about the thrill of chasing the bad guy or being the bad guy and trying to evade the good guys. You could stage a robbery or stop a kidnapping, but this is something I could easily believe every one has done. But like most growing people, these games end as adults decide to start playing with something that truly interests them and make a career out of it.

But sometimes the cops and robbers game is fun enough that the adult wants this to become their life. They'll ask for information on what the next step is to becoming a real life officer. Either they'll be scared away from the complicated paperwork and academy, denied because of something they have or done, or they possess the will to go through with it and make it a career. But you occasionally hear about those bad apples that think its funny to impersonate an officer. Like the characters in Let's Be Cops, their most likely stupid and don't think about the consequences on the people they fool.

Justin (played by Damon Wayans, Jr.) and Ryan (played by Jake Johnson) are two best friends that have lived in Los Angeles hoping that their lives here would be better then in Ohio. This is not the case as Justin is a video game designer whose more of an assistant then a creative mind and Ryan is a bum friend whose football days are long behind him and living off of a commercial payday that has kept him stable. They head out to a college reunion as cops thinking it's a costume party. Not only is it a masquerade party instead, but they have a hard time fitting in with their more successful classmates.

Just as they decide they might go back to Ohio, they discover something on the city streets; people are giving them double takes, the tallest of men start to slouch and the hottest of women give them smiles. The two quickly realize that people think that their cops. Ryan wants to play around with this more, now getting the respect that he's wanted after college, though Justin is more of a weak coward whose more concerned with going to prison. The two eventually get good enough to deceive the L.A.P.D. and start doing detective work for a Russian mafia.

Every summer there's a movie that I'm gonna find is a surprise that I didn't expect; Let's Be Cops is the surprise. It was a movie I remember laughing at even though a lot of the gags were stupid, reminding me of something like Surf Ninjas. But…I kind of like Surf Ninjas. So why am I forgiving here and not of something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that was full of dumb jokes?

First of all, the jokes feel like timeless jokes, as to say that they didn't rely on modern day or pop culture things that could be dated in a few years. Second, the characters are likable. Both Justin and Ryan feel like those recent college buddies that still need to find better interests, but they put so much passion in what their doing that you really want to see where they go with this. Third, I feel like that the movie is in on the whole joke of cop clichès and that most of the jokes, especially the jokes that aren't funny, are intentional.

I'll give this seven fake police badges out of ten. Let's Be Cops is that comedy that will become a hit on television through repeated viewings at midnight with teenagers and college students. I can't say it's for everyone, but this is something you need to turn off your logical brain to enjoy.
93 out of 125 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
A Good Laugh Here and There
louski-5449118 September 2014
At first I was not sure if I liked the movie. I assumed it was just going to be another quotable movie where at times you had a good laugh. But because I love both of the two main actors from the show New Girl, I just had to see it. I actually found myself laughing way more than I expected and would love to watch this movie again. Some parts were taken too far but it had a good amount of clean humor and a little crude humor as well. It takes a lot for a comedy to earn itself ten stars. This film did not quite do it because of the scenes that were over the top and probably should have just been left out all together. Don't expect the same laugh out loud comedy like New Girl from Let's Be Cops but it can definitely lift your mood and give you an occasional belly laugh.
23 out of 36 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Reserved for the Old Blockbuster Crowd
bkrauser-81-31106416 September 2014
Don't be fooled by the sophomoric title which conjures up images of idiots pretending to be cops to pick up chicks, get free things and otherwise act like fools in uniform…wait, that is what happens in this film. Still don't be fooled by the title, the movie isn't so much face-palming as it is just mildly and reliably silly.

The movie stars Jake Johnson of New Girl (2011-2014) fame as a burned out former college sports prodigy who's currently unemployed and single in sunny Los Angeles. His roommate Damon Wayans Jr. is a video game designer who struggles to bring his ideas to life thanks to a petrifying fear of taking initiative. His new game pitch involves a Grand Theft Auto-type RPG boasting an authentic beat cop experience. So authentic in fact, that he borrows real police uniforms to place on his presentation mannequins. His boss doesn't go for it but at least the two can become a hit at a costume party, thus beginning a ruse that grabs the attention of the ladies, the criminals and the LAPD.

The film adds very little to the buddy cop genre save a realistic performance by Rob Riggle as a legit Police officer. The villains are serviceable in menace and acting ability while love interest Nina Dobrev of the ever popular Degrassi: The Next Generation (2006-2009) is breathtaking T&A. The notion of Dobrev's character aspiring to be a makeup artist and not an actress or model is about as silly as Fred Astaire aspiring to be a shoe-shiner. Try as they might the chemistry between the two leads is cordial but no where near the level of Murtaugh and Briggs, Cates and Hammond, Lee and Carter. At best they're Freebie and the Bean (1974) without the pretense of already being A-List stars.

But let's be real, this film isn't trying to be the next Rush Hour (1998), and yes that is the new marker of quality. It's a movie that tries to reassemble the old Blockbuster video crowd who rented Martin Lawrence's National Security (2003) and All About the Benjamins (2002) a hundred times because old habits die hard and The Marine (2006) was already rented out. While Johnson and Wayans Jr. may not have the established fan base of Martin Lawrence or Ice Cube, there's no denying the films refreshing lack of pretense and the actors' enthusiasm towards the one-trick pony screenplay.

Let's cut the BS, what it all comes down to in movies like this is can it make you laugh? The short answer is yes and not just scattered chuckles either. Is it worth a re-watch; probably not. There are some truly inspired moments many of which are provided by Keegan-Michael Key (If Key and Jordan Peele were cast as the hapless fake cops instead of Johnson and Wayans who knows how deliciously absurd this movie could have gotten). Yet the buddy-banter all feels recycled and the action sequences are mundane.

I tacitly approve even if Let's Be Cops appeared too late on the scene to be relevant. Those who are limitedly exposed to the clichés of boys-in-blue-type cinema will find something to like, especially when their parents aren't in the room. Those with more discerning taste might want to look the other way on this one, not because it's offensive, dumb or bad but because it's too little of anything.

http://www.theyservepopcorninhell.blogspot.com
27 out of 48 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Funny for now. . .
jacob-m-ford9726 October 2014
As you walk in the theater to watch "Let's Be Cops" you have to have a little bit of understanding what movie you just paid to fill up 100 minutes of your life. This is a dumb movie made in a cheap way that is intended to be dumb and cheap. I went in to see this movie with those expectations and as a result I was fairly entertained for the time I was sitting in that seat. To begin with "Let's Be Cops" has an absurd premise: two loser guys dress up as police officers for a costume party, and because the earth is apparently populated with people who have elementary levels of intelligence, the citizens of Los Angeles believe that they are legitimate officers of the law. In the most ridiculous and illegal ways they decide to use this to have some fun, get some girls, and get away with whatever the heck they want. But since this is a motion picture, their partying does come to stab them in the back as they get involved with a mafia- style gang, which is where we get the meat of the story.

"New Girl" co-stars Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. reteam for this film as Ryan and Justin: two of the biggest losers ever put onto the big screen. Their performances were good, granted the fact that absurd comedy is perhaps the easiest to do well in a film. Johnson specifically took on the role of a loser very well leaving you with the amount of distaste for his character which was needed to tell the story. Wayans did an excellent job of grasping the ridiculousness of the film and putting it into his character at the correct times. Ryan and Justin were not nearly as funny as they could have been, but for the budget this film was given Johnson and Wayans did an excellent job of providing very funny performances that are very necessary for a film like this to work. Also among the cast were James D'Arcy as the stereotypical villain, Nina Dobrev as the stereotypical girlfriend, Keagan-Michael Key as an over the top gang member, Rob Riggle as the only person who gets anything done, and a surprising appearance from Andy Garcia as the stereotypical gang leader.

When it comes to making a comedy of this style there is a precise formula that is easy to follow, works very well, and as a result is done very often. Director and co-writer Luke Greenfield clearly decided early on to stick with this formula and it can be seen throughout the film: We start with two guys. Both are over the top, both are good-for-nothings, both are funny, but are ten times funnier when they are together. Enter a ridiculous plot which they innocently get mixed up in and is way out of their league, usually something that comes up a lot in other films and TV shows. Add a creepy villain here, a girlfriend for one of them there, and a scene where they drop the comedy and say something deep and profound. Finish it up with a moment of true courage, cut quickly to another stupid joke before the credits roll, and you're set! A guaranteed twenty-five million dollars on opening weekend.

I'm not saying I dislike the formula, it works. It's irritating, but it works. At least some credit is due for that. It does bother me, however, that the films that follow the formula are often extremely successful and well-known, when there are so many really good films that take huge risks and are only seen by a select number of people. On its own scale though, this movie was fairly delightful. A good percentage of the jokes were very funny, there were numerous cringe-worthy moments, but it worked because somehow a laugh will always win that battle. The film also featured an excellent climax which was funny and even slightly suspenseful.

If you do decide to go see this film, which I don't think I'd immediately recommend, go in as I did. Have zero expectations. In fact, have low expectations. You're not going to find a "Dumb and Dumber" or a "Bridesmaids" in this movie, but it isn't a terrible thing to waste an hour and forty minutes on if you go in with very low expectations. I enjoyed it for the brief bit of my life, but I do know that I don't ever want to see it again. So as I walked out of the theater, I was ready to move onto the next thing.

I give "Let's Be Cops" a 5.8/10.
9 out of 17 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
How Can We Get People To Hate Cops Even More?
FilmMuscle15 August 2014
In an unbelievable turn of events, a comedy, that promotes the badass, crime-stopping life that's seemingly led by a standard police officer, releases at the height of a colossal controversy in which the true belligerent, imperious nature of the police has become ever more apparent, thus blighting the film's humor with an ominous undertone. In reality, a viewer's enjoyment of a particular movie doesn't solely stem from the actual content's quality but also from the experience in and of itself—the people you're with, the ambiance you're encompassed by, etc. This has never been more evident, but at the same time, it complexly diverts into two separate paths of sentiment: one of sheer fun as the rest of the audience's laughter and elation mixes in with mine and produces a tremendous atmosphere heretofore mentioned, and the other of perplexity—or perhaps, even, repulsion.

Now, I don't want to pose as the killjoy, but the pure obnoxiousness evinced in this film is quite overwhelming. At the very start, you have two men (Ryan and Justin) who're truly lost in their lives and have no idea of what their next step in life is, surrounded by jerks who continuously remind them of their stunted growth in potential careers. A depressing aura sets in as the sheer relevance of this predicament becomes realized, which makes you hold on in even greater anticipation for the fun to commence. Lo and behold, suddenly, that dispiriting tone of the opening transforms into the very opposite as these two disparately personified friends are inflicted with a contagious idea that leads them to don authentic police uniforms and henceforth further into their imitation of a law enforcement officer. What follows is a string of morally reprehensible acts on their part merely because they can—they obtain an (spurious) authoritative status and instantly decide to assert their power over regular people, belittling them through all kinds of mockery.

Oftentimes, you can't help but laugh hysterically—I know I did—but at the same time, you begin to question your own sense of humor and the exact decency of our two (deranged) protagonists who we're following and guffawing along with throughout. Even though plenty of scenes lead to golden hilarity, the characters involved behave rather moronically and nonsensically. Who thought it'd be a great idea to speedily drive through a soccer field, populated with adolescents, in a police car just for the gasconade of it? Ryan, the genius. Who would be that franticly avid to turn himself into the police? Justin, the upstanding citizen. One also would assume that individuals couldn't possibly be this overt in their cluelessness and disquietude, undeniably arousing suspicion from everyone around, but these two imbeciles are.

In addition, the plot relies on one contrivance after another—the villains are omnipresent to a laughable degree, and characters somehow run into each other at the perfect time to initiate the next plot point. In essence, this could best be described as an entertaining and laugh- out-loud funny "guilty pleasure"; though illogical decisions and plot holes profuse its every minute, Let's Be Cops ultimately delivers the laughs and thrills, especially given the fact that its last act suddenly shifts into a crime thriller with a few satisfying twists and turns up its sleeve.

Rob Riggle, Andy Garcia, and Keegan-Michael Key make very memorable appearances with the latter portraying an eccentric Latino nutcase who speaks amusing broken English and is bedecked with tattoos and various jewelries. When it concerns laughter, this film certainly comes equipped with uproarious surprises and harmonious chemistry between its two leads (Jake Johnson playing the laidback, imprudent type and Damon Wayans Jr. the more uptight, circumspect partner-in-crime). All in all, the best advice I could give to those still curious about seeing the movie: go in, forget about everything, cease any level of thought- processing, and have a good time!
10 out of 24 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Good for who just watch movie for fun, not good for those who analyze movies
user-132-97367213 October 2014
I have just spent 2 hour on buses and 1 hour on foot to a cinema to watch this movie, and it totally worth it.

It is fun and I love it.

I admit that there are something in the movie that is not logical or not realistic, but it can still be called a good comedy as long as you do not take all the things so seriously.

Someone also mentioned that they are attracted by the trailer and are disappointed after watching it. What I shall say is that trailer does not exaggerate the fun point of the movie, I saw more fun spots in the movie which didn't shown in the trailer.

If you just want to have fun, it is a good choice, but if you want a very logical/classic/perfect story, do not try this one.
136 out of 171 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
a matter of taste but essentially stupid.
beef-638-12143626 October 2014
Let's be honest here. This movie has one quintessential quality: stupidity. The duo of make-belief cops is so stupid, I wonder how they made it this far in their lives without having a lethal accident. Basically it's two thirty-something guys with their careers in a sinkhole, suddenly finding great joy and opportunity in pretending to be cops.

Through it all they keep doing remarkably stupid things, shamefully stupid things, and ridiculously stupid things.

It appears this is where the movie delivers. You can watch almost two hours of these guys being really stupid - it is up to you to regard this as a funny thing, or as shamefully bad taste. For me, it is the latter.
12 out of 20 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Perfectly Pitched
ian-dodkins23 November 2014
Good comedies are hard to do. Let's face it, we're bored with 'hangover II etc' and a comedy isn't funny if it just repeats previous comedies or if it is just banal humour.

Well, this film is neither intellectual nor cheesy. It has a really nice core story about these two great guys who have had very little success in life, but then they realise how powerful they are just by wearing police uniforms. The story seems simple, but the two main actors play it just right and it doesn't go over the top, but produces a really humorous film that kept be riveted. One of the best comedies I have seen, simply because it gets the balance right and is light, exciting, fun, has a little depth, and made me laugh despite my grumpy mood. Thoroughly recommended to everyone! No 'shocking'/rude comedy, simply excellent fun.
31 out of 41 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
A lot better than expected
rogerg10017 September 2014
I don't know why so many people give it such a low review. I guess if you had to only watch 1 movie a year and this is it you would be disappointed..

It a classic like Beverly Hills cop of Bad boys. , but it is one of the better comedies in the last months.

So two losers dress up as cops for a masquerade ball and go with it and Jake Johnson is actually quite funny in the way he just goes for everything.. no matter how crazy..

Is it often corny yes, is it very cliché yes : but does it make you laugh: yes! Is it entertaining yes.

If you looking for meaning i.e. drama comedy/ family comedy/ romance comedy this is not going to appeal to you.If you just want to laugh it will.

There is another part of irony. The thriller/ action part of this movie was actually better, more realistic and more clever than that of movies like Need for speed/ fast and the furious 5/6.

Don't expect too much now either. it is comparable to 21 and 22 Jump street , but somewhat less funny and less original jokes.
5 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Enjoyed
cobaltnickel-4728 March 2015
Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. are not much familiar to me but they acted really well.The story line is not bad.I really enjoyed this movie.I will promote this movie to others who had not watched this movie yet.

The funny moments are great than that of the painful scenes.The theme of the movie is different from other comedy movies.Even the title 'Let's be cops' is attractive.The cast of the movie is good.There are some new faces,but they acted well.Rob Riggle and Nina Dobrev acted pretty good.I hope there will bw a second part of this movie.This movie is worth wacthing
3 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Let's Be Cops Review: Let's Be Real
camachbr012 August 2014
Goofballs in uniform; it's certainly something we've seen before. But what if they weren't actually cops? You now have the film Let's Be Cops. It opens quick with our two heroes, Ryan and Justin, declaring how unsuccessful and lacking in ambition they are. Ryan (Jake Johnson) is an ex-jock, who hasn't found his calling in life. Justin (Damon Wayans Jr.) is a reserved video game producer, who gets called a bitch every ten minutes. The pairing is odd itself; since when do quarterbacks hang out with video game nerds? But then they put on the cop uniforms and see that girls are looking at them differently. People actually listen to them. This is awesome. For a laugh-filled montage we see Ryan and Justin abuse every cop privilege possible; smoking pot with teens, cutting lines to clubs, making bad guys dance. These laughs are innocent, but then the film asks us to drop any realistic pretension we had. Apparently, Ryan and Justin aren't aware that impersonating a cop is a serious crime (until one of them Googles it). In addition, apparently driving on sidewalks goes unnoticed in LA. And apparently the kids in this film just moved in from South Park. So they continue to be cops, even buying a cop car off Ebay, and obtaining surveillance equipment from Office Segar (Ron Riggle), whose character is so muddy I can't tell if he's just incredibly stupid or just super dedicated to the force. It's also unclear what the bad guy, Mossi (James D'Arcy), does. Sure he's a crazed arms dealer, but his decisions in the film are never given a good reason. He's conveniently connected to Josie (Nian Dobrev), Justin's love interest, who is drop-dead gorgeous. And he likes to shoot things aimlessly when stalking his prey. Key, from Key and Peele, plays a ridiculous rasta. The tolerance for the cop jokes, at the cost of the plot, wears out at around the middle, where the movie's turn into full-on thriller saves it. Then it's about seeing how these guys are going to make it alive. The jokes are funny and very contemporary. Jake and Damon have great chemistry, but it feels like this could have just been a sketch on Key's show. Most disappointing is that Rob Riggle's comedic talent is not displayed. This is a good film to get some easy laughs in. 7/10
6 out of 16 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Very very funny
blueovation21 September 2014
Let me just start by saying that this isn't an over the top blockbuster film like everyone seems to expect from every movie that comes out now. For some reason people have these attitudes towards movies that aren't packed with insane plot holes and story details wrapped up in a cgi blanket to attempt to blow your mind. This movie is really a funny movie, no matter what anyone says. My girlfriend was having a bad day and I was low on energy to try to entertain so we went to see this for a few laughs. It didn't disappoint. I didn't go in with high hopes that there would be any real reason to like it very much but it came around within the first few minutes of the movie. We both left feeling better and like it was worth it, (and I am an adult so the 'teenager type jokes' that one reviewer referred to are unfounded). Jake Johnson really sells the image of a guy just looking for any kind of change in his life and Damon Wayans Jr. is and actor that really puts a lot of work into whatever role he is in. I don't want to ruin any of the movie with bits and pieces that I enjoyed more than the others so I am leaving you with this. If you have a desire to get enjoyment from a film without becoming emotionally invested in a story that lasts 3 movies or longer with hints and clues popping up all over the place eluding to a next installment of whatever series, (and enjoy comedy of all types) then I would recommend this highly. Not artistic, not over done, not offensive to the degree some say, just straight up good comedy. Waaay better than the terrible Seth Rogen movie "the Neighbors". Hope this helps.
81 out of 120 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Let's Be Mildly Entertained
rgkarim16 August 2014
We've seen the dynamic duo comedies, where two guys do some extreme stunt to get some cheap laughs. Where these types of movies use to have some clarity and boundaries, the past two decades however have made those boundaries very thin. The result of removing boundaries is over the top comedies, where law breaking and often alcohol drives a curse- laden dialogue. So when Let's Be Cops dawned its awkward looking face into theaters I wondered what was in store. What were my impressions on this comedy? Please read on to find out.

Let's start out with the premise of the movie. Two typical guys go out one night dressed as cops for a party, and somehow convince an entire populace they are cops. Using the fame and favor of wearing the uniform, the two nobodies become addicted to the attention and abuse it to no ends. I'll admit that I didn't expect much from this adventure, but to my surprise Let's be Cops had a few more kicks to it then I thought. Despite what the trailers paint, there is a little bit of a story to the madness. This film has some crime drama suspense put in, using a couple of techniques from the various T.V. shows to craft a tale that has all the elements we love. While there is very little mystery to the crime, the collecting of the evidence has a few suspenseful moments that might get you on the edge of your seat. There is a "twist" at one point, but in a comedy like this there really isn't much room for unpredictable elements, at least not in terms of story. However, there is an action element in this film as well, with a little bit of excitement to help pick up the pace.

As I have mentioned though, this is a comedy movie and you want to know about the laughs. For this reviewer, the laugh factor was much smaller than I had hoped, not because the humor wasn't there, but because the trailers had shown me a lot of the jokes. A lot of the stupid, slapstick humor is revealed in the various, and overplayed ads on T.V., and after seeing them so many times had lost its edge. Luckily, there were still a few tricks left up their sleeves that gave me a chuckle. Some of the scenes have a little extra factor to them in the movie, often a perfect time song, or joke that couldn't be aired on the T.V. There are also a few scenes that were still fresh, the dialog and comedic timing rather well done and had me laughing. In particular Justin (Damon Wayans Jr.) is the one that was more entertaining for me, as his style was less extreme and overacted than his partner in crime.

This brings us to our next topic on the characters and the acting. Another surprise to this movie is that there is actually some character development amidst the crazy antics. Jake Johnson's character was very similar to one like Kevin Hart, very loud and eccentric and with dialog filled with one-liners. He is the instigator of the bad ideas, continuously scheming to push their luck as to how far they can take the scheme. Yet despite his extreme stupidity and shallowness, there is a little bit of moral and motives behind his ideas, though most of this happens at the end. Wayans on the other hand covers the character spectrum a little more, at first being a partner in crime and gradually developing a conscience that makes him a party pooper, but keeps the humor grounded. When he is not trying to douse the flames though, his character has other parts of his life that provide some variety to fake cop stupidity. Girl trouble, job trouble, and confidence issues are all means for jokes, and often ends up with Wayans screaming like a little girl that starts to get a little annoying as the movie progresses. Despite the high pitched wails, Wayans keeps things from getting too crazy and helps establish the slight story in this comedy. Trying to take the limelight away from the two, we have villain Mossi (James D'Arcy) who looks the part of a grade a sleezeball. However, looks are the only thing I can greatly praise this character on, as the acting is a bit monotone and rather overdone. D'Arcy pretty throws grown up temper tantrums and then simply goes cool and creepy. For being such a crime threat, the guy knows how to waste bullets as well, often blindly spraying lead without even trying to aim. Rob Riggle also makes an appearance in this movie and does a nice job playing the cop that again offsetting the comedy and low I.Q. of the rest of the city. Yet my favorite part of this movie is actress Nina Dobrev. A combination of beauty and smarts, Dobrev's character has some attitude, some diversity, and a decent foothold in the overall dynamic of the movie. While definitely the greatest performance I have ever seen, she did nice job being "the girl" and defying the typical damsel in distress we often see.

Let's be cops is pretty much what the trailers promised, over the top, stupid antics condensed in a two hour time period. It's got a few more surprises to it, but the trailers have given you most of what is in store for this movie. Is it worth a trip to the theater? For this reviewer not really, unless you are looking for some time to kill, as there is nothing theater worthy about it. My scores for this feature is:

Comedy: 6.0 Movie Overall: 5.5
5 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Funny movie to relax and laugh
ivanmessimilos30 October 2014
I was looking for a movie for a bit to relax, rest your brain and laugh a few times, so some of stupid comedy. With such expectations, the movie was very good. There are some clichés and nonsense, but I did not expect Oscar material. Several plenty of good jokes, I laughed out loud, I liked the plot even when they add excitement to the film. Two best friends acting as police officers, but not really. In what situation can get in and what could happen to them? See the movie without any expectations. In view of a comedy come out recently, the movie is really refreshing. You wont regret it, just like I didn't. A solid 7/10
4 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Soon-To-Be Cult-Classic.
Movie-ManDan13 January 2015
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
28 out of 43 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Some really funny moments, but maybe not enough
zetes25 August 2014
A low-brow, low-ambition comedy with only the shoddiest of plots. I went to laugh, though, and I did, at least a bit. I'm a huge fan of the sitcom New Girl, in which both Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. star. Four back-to-back episodes of New Girl (or Wayans' previous sitcom, Happy Endings) would blow this film out of the water laugh-wise. These kinds of films always feel the need to graft a cliché plot onto the amusing antics of its stars, and then they tend to get lost in that rote plot by the end. Let's Be Cops is quite funny when it's just the main characters joking around, play fighting or getting into slapsticky situations. In addition to Johnson and Wayans, Keegan-Michael Key and Natasha Leggero have really funny, small roles.
3 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
People should be arrested for this tripe
thedukeofmovietown14 September 2014
I saw LET'S BE COPS yesterday. Let's Be Cops stars Damon Wayans Jr. and Jake Johnson as two losers who pretend to be cops in order to get the thrills and respect they lack in their normal lives. The movie attempts to be another version of those wacky cop movies like Police Academy or Super Troopers but unlike those movies, this movie is tragically unfunny. Every time there seems to be a setup for a joke it just peters out and in some cases, Wayans and Johnson run away from the scene, get into a cop car and drive away. The movie is not all bad though, Keegan-Michael Key of Key & Peel fame has a funny part as a dreadlocked tattooed thug but he shows up far too late to breathe much needed life into the movie. Overall I really can't think of anything else good to say about this movie. Its badly written, unfunny and just overall really dry. I really can't recommend it in any capacity. Let's Be Cops gets a 1...out of 5.
21 out of 41 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
New Girl Cops
Dr_Sagan28 October 2014
Two losers are impersonating cops and save the day, in this mediocre buddies comedy.

The 2 main actors aren't first class comedians. They are mediocre stand-up comedians and you can see both of them starring in the quirky TV-comedy "New girl".

Jake Johnson is type-casted again as a man-child. If you aren't into this type of humor (like in "New girl") you won't like this movie either.

The script is pretty common. Nothing to write home about. There are few mild laughs here and an attempt for some moral lessons in the end.

Overall a light feel-good, buddy movie that doesn't deserve to pay for it, but check it on TV or in the Internet for a mindless one hour and a half.
2 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Just for Laughs !!!!
Abijit_Radhakrishna2 December 2014
If you're one of those people who watch movies as a part of cooling your mind after a busy day,this will do the work. But be careful not to keep anything more apart from comedy and fun, and some little heart touching scenes.

As the plot suggests it is the story of two pals who disguises themselves as cops for fun !! You should keep away your brains and laugh out loud as these Buddies surf through LA in their fake Cop Car which they bought online!! Overall,this is a good movie which does not creep your mind with Hold-Your-Breath-Moments or Twists.The casting can be regarded good and the presentation,simple yet decent.

Do watch it, if you've got time.
2 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Poor excuse for comedy
ThatMonkey14 August 2014
I have the feeling that this title sat on the shelf for years. If you see the film none of the music, references or automobiles are even from this decade. The tell tale sign is the billboard for the 2007 series Dirt starring Courtney Cox. Did I mention that it's not widescreen either? The trailer pitches you a finny film that allows you to follow two men into a crime rancid world after they decide to put costume party costumes to work, but the script for this film is weak. Both Damon and Jake are hilarious, just not in this movie and the savior of this film, Rob Riggle doesn't have enough screen time until late in the film.

The premise was fresh, original and funny, but if this is the direction Hollywood is going in, we are in for 7 years back luck.

The key to comedy is good writing and the writing here was horrible. This is a Redbox at best, if you spend a dime more on this, you are going to regret it. Take note of the previous glorious reviews, something tells me that these people are not here for any other purpose than promoting this stinker of a film.
4 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Pretty Big Letdown
ThomasDrufke12 August 2014
For a movie with citizens pretending to be cops, it sure pretends to be as funny as 22 Jump Street. The trailers looked hilarious, and Jake Johnson & Damon Wayans already have the built in chemistry from New Girl so it had the makings of a fun summer blockbuster. But after the first 30 minutes the movie ends up being just another forgettable buddy cop film.

Johnson and Wayans did share some moments with each other and the film doesn't lack a supporting cast like other films do. I liked Riggle, Dobrev, and even Andy Garcia for the extended cameo. I definitely could have done without James D'Arcy as Mossi AKA the prototypical Jump Street bad guy. The difference here is that with the villains there was a lack of comedic relief. The premise of the movie is already unbelievable, you might as well poke fun at yourself. Instead, it chooses to take a few twists and turns that wont necessarily surprise you. The best parts of the movie are in the first quarter, after they had just put on the cop uniforms. I have to say, there is almost a 20 minute long segment near the end, where I didn't laugh once, not even a chuckle. Sadly, the trailers showed most of the insane gags that I didn't laugh out loud as much as I would have liked. With Neighbors and 22 Jump Street I missed many jokes because of the amount of time I spent laughing. But here, not only did many of the jokes miss, but I was too busy yawning anyway.

The scene with Wayans face getting plastered with another man's genitalia was horrifying and I refused to look at the screen for a few minutes. But I think the dynamic between Johnson and Wayans is fun to watch. They both share different outlooks on life but at the same time have a connection that resembles Tatum and Hill from Jump Street. It's nowhere near as funny as Jump Street or the trailers in general, but if you go with a few buddies you may get a few good laughs out of it. I don't recommend spending 10.75 on it though.

+Johnson & Wayans work well together

+first 30 minutes

+Dobrev's beauty

-Trailers took the jokes

-Long periods without laughing

-Tries hard to be like Jump Street.

6.2/10
4 out of 16 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Taste determines your rating of this movie
mathijzzzie28 September 2014
When I saw the trailer I was reluctant about seeing this movie. I was afraid it was a standard popular American comedy in which absurdity-comedy was the focus, like most stand-up comedians and Southpark. The movie does include these kind of jokes, but because of the sequence of jokes and the "story" (as in standard rom-com "story") I found the movie to be very funny. But then again it is difficult to make a movie which everybody thinks is funny, for example I think the Achorman 1 was the most hilarious movie ever but the sequel I thought was terrible. So I think you will either love or hate this movie depending on your sense of humor.
45 out of 77 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
An underrated gem that is a lot darker than the trailers suggest.
sockableclaw13 June 2020
This movie got overlooked when it came out but it's really not a bad movie at all. There are lots of hilarious moments and the jokes hit more than miss.

It's a movie about two guys who are unsatisfied with their daily lives and decide to pretend to be cops for fun but get so deep into it that they can't get out since all of their fellow cops are none the wiser (which is completely unrealistic, but this is a movie, so just go with it). And of course, since they are now forced to do real police work without any kind of training whatsoever, they are waaaay in over their heads and hilarity ensues.

Surprisingly, once they start having to fight real bad guys, the movie takes a bit of a dark turn. At that point, it becomes more of a "Lethal Weapon" type of comedy than the silly type of comedy that came before that. The sudden change in tone is a bit jarring and kind of takes away from the movie IMO. It was as though the movie was trying to be two different things when I wish it just would've stuck to just one.

Having said all that, it's still a movie worth watching and is far better than what the critics said about it.
1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
One of the Worst Comedies I've Seen In a Long Time!
RustyShacklefordd12 August 2014
Just got back from seeing this and this really was one of the worst movies I've seen this year. The writing is horrible! The laziest type of comedy, I swear half of the jokes completely relied on swearing. Some of the jokes didn't even have anything to do with the cop premise (hotboxing the car, riding roller coasters) it was obvious they didn't have enough material to fill the entire movie so they stuffed it with cheap juvenile jokes. An example of this would be a scene were the writers didn't know how to end it, so they have a character get tackled by a fat naked guy so we can watch his testicles get rubbed on his face (comedy gold right?). And don't even get me started on them ramming jokes into the ground. Also, it ask the viewer to despend their disbelief on the level of something like Identity Thief. The story is incredibly predictable even by comedy standards. You know exactly who the villains are the second they appear on screen and the twist can be seen from miles away. There is also just poor writing in advancing the story. For example, when the girl calls Damon Wayans character telling him to come see her, they somehow know to come into the building knowing that she was being held hostage even though she didn't even imply that at all. I honestly felt a bit insulted by how bad some of the writing in this was. The tone was also stuck between along the lines between something like 21 Jump Street and something along the lines of Hot Fuzz. The third act felt like an entirely different movie and there wasn't even a good transition into it. The only good thing I can say about it is that the chemistry between the two leads was good.

The most depressing thing was that I saw this in a packed theater filled with teenagers laughing like it was the funniest movie they ever saw. I swear every time somebody dropped the f-bomb or said pussy they laughed like crazy. It will probably end up being #1 at the box office this weekend and FOX will probably green light a sequel that will make millions as well. This truly is one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time! I actually think it might be worse than Transformers which I thought was the worst movie of the summer up until this. I'd rather watch Kevin Smith's Cop Out a million times before ever having to watch this again. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY PEOPLE! I only went because a friend invited me to and it was discount day at one of my local theaters and I still feel ripped off! It doesn't quite reach the level of awfulness along the lines of A Haunted House 2, but it's pretty damn close. If it's movies like this that people are truly finding funny, then I really think we are looking at the decline of comedy as we know it.
53 out of 119 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Actually it was pretty good, wasn't expecting it to be such a good film
user-id-123426 October 2014
This was actually pretty funny. Seeing that this is a Wayans Brothers movie I wasn't sure if it would be too corny or have too many D&F jokes too tolerate. Usually if the comedy is too dumbed-down / "family friendly I'm out. But I was actually entertained. The D&F humor was actually funny (giant naked man) and it wasn't the crux of the movie. There's actually a good buddy cop theme here, it's hilarious to see them test the limits of their new cop powers, the antagonists are really threatening. There's a good action theme that goes along with this story, I enjoyed it. I was surprised to see Andy Garcia (Untouchables) or Jon Lajoie (from Youtube / The League) to be in this movie, two of my favorite actors.
39 out of 67 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed