Ein Cop und ein Halber

Cop and A Half is not a materpiece. It isn't something remarkable or memorable, but there is a significant difference between a bad film and a masterpiece. Although not a terrific movie, Cop and A Half is an entertaining and good comedy, with some really funny moments. With great performances and an above-the-average production (it was produced by Imagine, Ron Howard's company), this is a fast and simple motion picture. Burt Reynolds is charming and excellent as Nick Mkenna, the solitary cop who turns out to be a better person in the end, by living the most exciting adventures with the kid Norman Golden Jr. (who is very funny and talented too!).Despite all said about Cop and A Half, despite the reviewers who claim that this is a stupid picture, rent Cop and A Half, because at the same time it isn't a terrific work, it is a good and simple comedy about friendship, forgiveness and love.

Cute little black kid wants to be a policeman. The diminuitive star, Norman Golden III is out to steal your heart while it feels like like the film-makers have stolen your wallet in the process.

This comes about a decade too late after the trend of cuddly black "child" stars Gary Coleman and Webster, who were both in their late 30's during their heyday. (I've always thought that a great idea for a TV show would be something called "Shrunken Miniature Black Man" cause apparently that's the way America wants to see them.) Anyway, back to this film...

It's basically Burt Reynolds co-starring with his toupee and trying to look put-upon by Golden. In actuality, over the course of the 90 minutes, actor Reynolds spends a lot of his on-screen time sweating profusely. It's actually kind of creepy.

You people are crackpots, just insane with arrogance. This movie did what it intended. Golden's performance was incredible given his age. Not very funny, but witty and cute. Here's a clue people: Most 8 year olds over-act! And Burt--well, Burt is Burt, not even one dimensional...The only fault I can find is the Hollywood by the numbers script, which is plenty dreadful. That's what Hollywood does. You knew you were getting a kids movie, right?

When I saw this as a kid, I really liked it. So, for me, it did what it was supposed to--capture a child's imagination. Not an adults petulance.

Recommended for kids.

Burt Reynolds has shown a subtle comic flair in films like "Sharky's Machine" and "Shamus" (or even in "Stick"), but his work here, in a broader kind of comedy, is joyless. The kid does show some spirit, but as a "buddy" team these two rarely click. The film was probably supposed, among other things, to satirize the most familiar cop-movie cliches, but it's one big cliche itself, and has a rather erratic tone. (*1/2)

It doesn't rate MUCH higher than that, but Norman D. Golden II is so preciously precocious as to wax reminiscent of Shirley Temple's early performances.

Burt is great here, though his character is quite irascible and curmudgeonly, but he plays those parts very well. This film features some decent action, a story and plot line which is quite cliché, and some good elemental twists, which balance out the many clichés throughout.

It was muddled in that you had to suspend belief to an extreme level in order to embrace the work, but once done, there is a lot of heart and entertainment to be had. I'm not saying this is "great" or even "compelling," but I did derive some level of enjoyment from Norman D. Golden II's performance.

It rates a 5.2/10 from...

the Fiend :.