"Let's Be Cops" Review

It's far from a masterpiece, but Let's Be Cops proves to be a satisfyingly hilarious buddy-cop adventure from Luke Greenfield, a director with a pretty weak back catalog including flops such as The Animal and Something Borrowed.

Heck, it earns points for at least being an original concept with a unique spin on its subgenre. 

The film re-teams lead actors Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr., perhaps best known for their respective roles as Nick and Coach on FOX's New Girl. The two bring their familiar chemistry to the table once again, which proves to be the movie's greatest strength despite a couple nagging character flaws.

Ryan O'Malley (Johnson) is a deadbeat who spends his time re-living the glory days of his college football career by playing pick-up games with the neighborhood kids. Justin Miller (Wayans) is Ryan's roommate and has been struggling to find acceptance in his career as a video game designer. Both of these guys are enormous tools; Ryan always take things too far, and Justin tends to run away when the going gets tough.

One night the pair decide to attend a costume party dressed as police officers. During their night out girls on the street start looking at them lustfully, and guys come up to give high-fives. With their tarnished egos adequately inflated, Ryan and Justin proceed to take on the responsibilities of real policemen. These newly-minted "cops" are forced to walk a fine line between coming clean and acting for the greater good when they find themselves caught up in an organized crime ring. In the process, the guys come to find their self-worth, and their major flaws are remedied.

The leads are bolstered by a strong supporting cast, including Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), James D'Arcy (Cloud Atlas), Rob Riggle (21 Jump Street), and Andy Garcia (The Untouchables). Dobrev and Riggle prove the most endearing to watch, while D'Arcy's and Garcia's roles are fairly one-note for such talented players.

It more than serves its purpose as a mindless late-summer comedy, but Let's Be Cops comes out a decided second to this summer's other buddy feature 22 Jump Street.

B-