Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans, Jr. Make "Let's Be Cops" Worth Watching

  

   This week marks the release of yet another Hollywood summer buddy cop film with writer/director Luke Greenfield's "Let's Be Cops". Comedy is a tough market and the buddy-cop shtick has been overdone. Just months prior to this film we had the outrageously hilarious "22 Jump Street". Though it doesn't lack in laughs, "Let's Be Cops" falls short to it's comedic predecessor. The film follows a fairly common plot thread in that two down-and-out roommates Ryan (Jake Johnson) and Justin (Damon Wayans, Jr.), realizing their lives aren't going the way they wanted, decide something has got to change. When they decide to dress up as cops for a costume party, they soon realize after taking to the streets and being mistaken as actual police officers, that they have unlocked a gold mine of potentially rockin' good times...not matter how illegal their escapades really are.

   The movie was funny. Was it as funny as "22 Jump Street?" No. Is it the funniest movie of the year? No, but it was funny nonetheless. Most of the comedy comes from the great chemistry between the two leads Johnson and Wayans. This chemistry has been forged previously on the show "New Girl" where the two of them play, you guessed it, roommates. They play off of each other really well which makes for an entertaining experience. Jake Johnson is an underrated comedic gem. His physical comedy as well as his impeccable timing is just hilarious. Though "Let's Be Cops" may not be the best platform to show it, Johnson is a quality script away from really becoming a household name in buddy-comedies, let alone comedies in general. Though this story lacks in many ways, he is able to reach down and pull out something great. It's just a shame the story wasn't as solid as it could be. As for Wayans, I haven't seen much where he wasn't funny. His character is the more reasonable of the two. Though his character holds back here Johnson's does not, Wayans brings the ying to Johnson's yang; amplifying the comedic situations they find themselves in.

   "Let's Be Cops" is a mediocre comedy. It's still pretty funny though. Where it lacks in story, it's made up through the chemistry of the cast. I contribute most of that to the two leading men. If you're off work one day and don't know what to do after lunch time, it's worth a matinee. At any rate, it's a pretty funny movie regardless of its flaws. It's worth a chance.