KCTribune: COP OUT

Director Kevin Smith (Zack and Miri Make a Porno”) apparently does and sets his sensibilities back a couple of decades for his latest effort, a buddy action comedy called “Cop Out.”

While the script by Robb and Mark Cullen (TV’s “Las Vegas”) may not have been setting in the drawer since the Reagan administration, it sure tries to capture the feel of “Beverly Hills Cop,” “48 Hours” or “Lethal Weapon.”

Too bad it doesn’t live up to any of those titles.

Bruce Willis (“Surrogates”) and Tracy Morgan (TV’s “30 Rock”) play a couple of bungling NYPD detectives who don’t always play by the rules.

Willis is veteran Jimmy Monroe and Morgan is his partner of nine years, Paul Hodges. They get into some trouble for their unconventional methods and are suspended.

The timing couldn’t be worse for Jimmy. He needs cash to pay for his daughter’s wedding. He decides to sell his prized possession, an old baseball card worth around $80,000.

But as he’s visiting a dealer, a wacky bandit (Seann William Scott from “Role Models”) robs him.

This sets into motion the contrived plot that leads Jimmy and Paul into a confrontation with a Mexican drug gang while they’re waiting out their suspension.

There is a lot of talent wasted in this tired farce. Willis and Morgan make a good team and Morgan manages to mine some laughs from a mediocre script. Scott is very funny as the gonzo thief.

The terrific ensemble also includes the criminally underused Kevin Pollack (“The Santa Clause 3”), Adam Brody (“In the Land of Women”), Rashida Jones (“I Love You Man”), Ana de la Reguera (“Nacho Libre”), Jason Lee (TV’s “My Name is Earl”) and Michelle Trachtenberg (“17 Again”).

But everything that these actors do seems forced under Smith’s direction. The opening sequence has Morgan aping dialogue from a dozen or so movies while interrogating a prisoner. These references to better flicks only emphasize how “Cop Out” suffers by comparison.

There is something a bit endearing about Smith’s lowbrow crudeness. In all of his previous films (“Clerks,” “Chasing Amy,” “Dogma,” etc.) Smith has written the screenplays. Even though his dialogue is coarse, he’s always shown heart.

But he’s just a journeyman director this time out and it’s evident that he’s not quite up to the challenge.

“Cop Out” is a throwback that clearly needs to be thrown back. (R) Rating: *1/2

* Avoid at all costs
** Only if you're bored
*** Good movie
**** Well worth your time
***** Be sure to see it