At the time of first seeing this movie, I had only one thing to show me what this was going to be like, and that was a 3 minute long “red band” trailer. What made me happy about that was that the trailer focused on mostly what was going on in the first half hour or so of the movie, and even then it didn’t even shine on the film’s full plot line. “Let’s Be Cops” follows “New Girl” stars Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. as a pair of best friends, one a video game designer and the other a man trying to make his way around life, who mistakenly dress up as cops for a masquerade party. After ditching the party and walking around town, they soon realize that people really think they’re cops, and being a cop has its advantages. While Damon Wayans’ character Justin wants to leave their one night of fun in the past, Jake Johnson’s character Nick doesn’t, and he decides to actually patrol the streets as if he were a legit cop, which is highly illegal. However, things start to get very crazy for Nick and Justin as they get involved in a ruthless criminal world of mobsters, which forces them into the line of duty for real. At least, until they don’t get caught.
I think one of the key things that helps the film work is the undeniably strong chemistry between Johnson and Wayans. From the moment we meet these two guys at the beginning of the movie singing the Backstreet Boys song “I Want It That Way,” you can immediately tell that these two are best friends, both in the film and in real life. The things that come out of their mouths are both hilarious and pretty real things that guy friends would say to one another. I loved the dynamics they get themselves into once they become “cops” and get themselves involved with real police work. While some of the stuff was implausible and over the top, these guys helped to make it work thanks to their reactions and how they fired one-liners off one another. If it was anyone else in these roles, I honestly don’t know if the film would have been as good since these two practically MADE the film as funny as it was.
Nina Dobrev plays a solid role in here as the love interest to Damon Wayans Jr.’s character. She might not spew out one-liners like how most of the people do in this movie, but she’s still entertaining and she doesn’t come off as a straight up damsel in distress, which is always a plus one in my book. Rob Riggle, well, when isn’t Rob Riggle funny in a movie? Seriously, I think Riggle is something of a comedic genius in terms of the way he acts in general and the way he just shoots joke after joke at you non-stop. In this movie, he is no exception, as he is not only hilarious but manages to be a badass in his own right as well. Also among the hilarious cast is Keegan-Michael Key, best known for his work on the show “Key & Peele.” This role is definitely up is alley, and further shows how hilarious of a comedian he is.
Aside from the jokes, the thing that shocked me the most about this movie is how it addresses the violence presented in police-related media. This movie actually tries to be somewhat realistic despite the concept being incredibly ridiculous. That’s just one of the many things that makes “Let’s Be Cops” unique and a standout amongst the countless other comedies that have come out this year. The jokes hit hard, the story is somewhat smarter than one would expect, and Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. have incredible chemistry together. I can see a good amount of people not liking this because of its implausibility and its juvenile sense of humor, but for me, nearly everything about this movie hit pretty damn hard. For that, I highly recommend you checking this movie out, as it’s a pretty great way to turn your brain off and have a good laugh before the summer ends.
OVERALL GRADE: 9/10
