Cops: Les forces du désordre

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.

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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.

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

Ryan and Justin, both are at a point in life when nothing seems to be working. Ryan is a former college football star and seems he can't get a break in Hollywood. Justin is a video game designer and can't get his cop game off the ground. One day on their way to a costume party, they discover that dressing like cops give them the respect and attention they crave. This leads to a path to acting like cops and being part of the LA police force. All is fun in games until they cross a real life gangster and discover that being a cop is not as easy as in the movies. A funny movie and also amazing how Damon Wayans, Jr. looks and acts like his daddy. Funny and a good story, Let's be Cops is a peek inside the police world.

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.