Cop Out is the new Kevin Smith movie starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as a couple of detectives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  It was written by Robb & Mark Cullen and originally titled A Couple of Dicks (the name was changed so they could better advertise it).  It’s noteworthy as Smith’s first film that he has directed but not written (he did direct the pilot episode of Reaper which he did not write previously).

I was a little worried when I saw the first ads for this.  It seemed very typical Hollywood and didn’t scream Kevin Smith at me.  I’m a huge Kevin Smith fan, although I know his work can be polarizing.  I love his stylized dialogue and despite his own claims that he’s really only a director to protect his writing, his directing has always been actually not bad.  But as a loyal fan I had to see this film.  I’m really glad I did.

First a lot of the movie was shot mere blocks away from my apartment in Bay Ridge Brooklyn (with the rest shooting in other parts of Brooklyn and Queens).  I was aware when they were shooting it but I didn’t go down to watch, as someone who works in film it’s not interesting to me and I also know how annoying it is having people watch you work.  Even if it was one of my favorite directors and during breaks he actually was conversing with fans.  Smith is a very down to earth cool guy.  But I bring up the point that he shot here as one of the things that I really enjoyed about the film.  It was shot mostly on location in NYC and for the most part in parts of the city that are rarely shown in movies.  This gave what indeed was actually otherwise a very polished shiny Hollywood looking film a more real feel to it.

Bruce & Tracy are the perfect team.

Another thing to love in this movie is of course the two leads of Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan.  Smith pretty wisely just let the two of them go off and do their thing and they deliver just what you want.  You get the combo John McClaine type Willis mixed with his incredible comedic skills in his detective who’s motivation through the whole movie is to get back a rare baseball card that was stolen from him that he’s trying to sell to pay for his daughter’s (Michelle Trachtenberg) wedding.  And with Morgan you get his wackiness, just constrained enough that his character makes sense.  He’s worried that his wife (Rashida Jones) is cheating on him with the neighbor.  The two together have an amazing chemistry that is really fun to watch.

Besides the few cameos listed above you also have a bunch more great actors in small but really wonderful parts, including Adam Brody and Kevin Pollack as another team of detectives who hate Morgan & Willis’ characters, Seann William Scott as a parkour loving robber, and my favorite is Jason Lee as Willis’ ex-wife’s new husband.  There’s a great scene with Lee and Willis that is a highlight of the whole film.

Then there’s the script.  I have no idea how much Smith touched the script or how much the actors improved, but there are a ton of hilarious lines and although it doesn’t have the same feel as something Kevin himself would write, I definitely see why he chose to direct this movie as it does have a lot of him in it.  You do feel his presence.  One of the scenes it’s hard to believe Smith didn’t write (but at the same time is incredibly easy to believe) is the opening in which Morgan’s character is interrogating a criminal by pretending to be a fellow criminal and just using lines from various movies even if they don’t fit.  He even throws in a “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.”

Overall this is a really enjoyable comedy that you should go and see.  Get your tickets from the Fandango link below and support us a little.