Let’s Be Cops (2014)

(On Cable TV, July 2015) I’m not necessarily opposed to silly immature comedies, but Let’s Be Cops is… not a good example of the form. The big premise here is how two out-of-luck young men hit upon the idea of donning police uniforms and pretending to be cops for fun and then love and profit. Surely I can’t be the only one unaccountably bothered by this? There’s a really good reason why impersonating a police officer is a jail-worthy offense. It certainly doesn’t help that the film’s two protagonists are borderline-unlikable, their immaturity being a problem long before they start wearing their uniform. (Damon Wayans, Jr. is slightly more tolerable than Jake Johnson, but I’m not sure that’s a quirk of the role or the actor.) Let’s Be Cops may have played better in a year or two, given current issues of police brutality being in the news. But as of today, it feels crass, and its lack of wit only makes it worse as it doesn’t deserve its infringement of social norms. (Arguably, it doesn’t have the guts to exploit its premise at full-tilt.) The criminal subplot isn’t much, but Andy Garcia does make an impression in a short time. With little wit, few laughs, more than a bit of irritation and unremarkable directing, Let’s Be Cops is almost instantly forgettable… and that’s not a bad thing.