Let’s Be Cops Review

In order to be a good comedy, a movie needs to be funny. That means, making the moviegoer laugh a lot. Not a little, a lot.

Unfortunately, Let’s Be Cops only managed to make me laugh a little.

Directed by Luke Greenfield, and starring New Girl stars Jake Johnson, and Daman Wayans Jr, Let’s Be Cops’ premise is simple: Two guys decide to go to a costume party dressed as cops, and people (mostly drunk girls) believe they’re actual cops. The two then decide to represent the law as a couple of fake LAPD cops, and go on to do some very dumb, and unrealistic things.

There’s your movie.

While the premise is simple, Let’s Be Cops had a lot of leeway, and so much potential that was just wasted because of poor directing and sloppy storytelling. There are moments in this movie that just feel useless to the plot, such as Wayan’s love interest. She feels so shoehorned into the movie, and is basically a plot device so that Johnson and Wayans can come face to face with the villain played by James D’Acry. She is hot though, so I can’t complain too much.

Another thing this movie has going against it is it’s runtime. At 109 minutes, this movie is about 20-30 minutes too long. Keeping this movie to about 80-90 minutes would have made a huge improvement to both the plot, and the movie itself.

One of the most disappointing aspects of this movie was Rob Riggle’s character. The usually funny Riggle is completely wasted in this role, and his poorly written lines hardly made me laugh.

It’s not all bad, however. As a fan of the television show New Girl, I’ve seen Johnson and Wayans Jr. together in action before, and I have enjoyed their work on the show. Once again, these two have pretty good comedic chemistry throughout the movie, and save it from being a total disaster. D’Acry’s villain character was okay in the movie. He’s no Heath Ledger Joker, but he does the best he can with the material he’s given, and looked as intimidating as he needed to be for the role.

Also, Keegan Michael Key plays a minor character in the movie, and is one of the few funny characters this movie has to offer.

There are some funny moments in this movie don’t get me wrong, especially in the first half. However, Let’s Be Cops’ runtime goes against it as it loses its mojo by the middle of the movie, and the laughs don’t come frequently enough for this movie to be considered a good comedy.

How do you like them apples? These apples are mostly sour, although I didn’t find any worms in them, so I didn’t throw them away completely.

2/5 barely funny sour apples.

2 heartstring favs for the 90s dad, Robin Williams

For my next fav, I’m gonna have to showcase one of my most beloved fatherly actors, Robin Williams.

Oh captain my captain…

He had both a comical and charming side — he was the Genie, and a Tarzan, the psychiatrist who cared, and the father who just loved his children.

First up:

Mrs. Doubtfire

This movie is a testimonial to the spectrum of feels you could have for a dad just trying to connect with his post-divorced family.

Robin Williams knows how to target children with his epic sound effects and hilarious laughter. His character is bashful and entirely himself.

I love the bizarre quality his hair dresser, Harvey Feirstein, plays in bringing out an awkward but accepting spirit when the character, Daniel Hillard, becomes Mrs. Doubtfire.

No matter how weird Mrs. Doubtfire got, you understood him as if you were his child, and your love for him completely shadowed his flaws.

Also, what happened to this girl, Mara Wilson? She rocked in Matilda, and their father/daughter relationship had serious good chemistry.

 

And for the second heartstring, Ryan has some words:

Good Will Hunting

Robin Williams was a comedic genius undoubtedly, and his comedic roles, especially as the voice of Genie from Aladdin will always be near and dear to me. However, I was a huge fan of his dramatic work as well, and my favorite all-time role of his was Sean Maguire from Good Will Hunting.

As a down-to-earth therapist who tries desperately to bring out the best in Matt Damon’s underachieving character Will Hunting, Williams made the role of Sean Maguire his own, and it earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

There are many scenes throughout the movie where Williams showcases his talent as a dramatic actor, but no scene encapsulates him more than the famous “park bench scene.”

It is one of, if not the best scene from the movie, and you learn everything you need to know about Williams’ character in only four minutes.

Sure his comedy was great, but in my opinion, this was Williams at his best. RIP to some truly great talent.

He was able to embrace curiosities in his acting, whether it was cross-dressing or fighting a lion. He still exists in my childhood, my dvds, and movie history forever.

I’d like to plant an apple tree for this man to share with generations to come.

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Review

As I said in my Avengers review, I am a big fan of the Marvel cinematic universe. When I first heard about Guardians of the Galaxy, I was skeptical because it was a more obscure piece of the Marvel comics, one that I had no idea even existed. Also, the fact that a walking tree and a talking raccoon were lead roles didn’t exactly have me jumping with anticipation.

After finally seeing the movie last night, I can safely say that Guardians of the Galaxy is one of Marvel’s best, funniest, and most fun movies to date. Oh, and the walking tree and talking raccoon? They’re show stealers.

Guardians of the Galaxy is about a rag-tag group of misfits who join forces to stop a being known as Ronan from destroying, well, the galaxy.

The movie is directed by James Gunn and stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, and the voice talents of Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and Vin Dielsel as Groot.

Pratt has proved his comedic talent in the show Parks and Recreation, where he plays the goofball Andy, and in his work in the Lego Movie. His talents are on display here again, as Pratt completely owns the role of Star-Lord, and is the perfect mix of badass and funny. One minute he’s doing something very heroic, and the next he’s cracking jokes. Pratt’s ability to transition from one to the other so seamlessly is impressive, and this role will probably earn him even more opportunities down the road. He also has some very nice dance moves.

That’s another thing about Guardians. It’s hilarious. Every character has their own comedic moments, and they each work. Bautista as Drax especially, as the wrestler turned actor has great comedic timing. Even the lovable Groot, who only says three words for the majority of the movie, is able to convey a lot of humor through his physical actions. Out of the group, Saldana’s Gamora is probably the least funny, but what she lacks in humor, she makes up for in ass kicking. She’s like the Black Widow of the group, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a cat fight between her and the actual Black Widow in the future.

If Groot is the Chewbacca of Guardians, then Rocket Raccoon is the Han Solo. I’ve heard a lot of comparisons between Guardians and Star Wars, and after seeing the movie for myself, I have to agree with them. The duo of Rocket and Groot is definitely very similar to Han and Chewy, and both characters will surely be fan favorites for most audiences. Rocket is definitely the show stealer in this movie, as his character is just a flat-out badass. He’s also hilarious, and his character shows as much emotion as any of the human actors. You almost forget you’re watching a CGI talking raccoon in certain scenes.

As much fun the movie is, there is also some heart and charm sprinkled in. You really feel for the characters by the movie’s conclusion, and some scenes are almost cry-worthy. Each character has a driving force that motivates them, and the movie does a great job fleshing them out. With so much humor, these types of scenes do a great job in bringing balance to the movie.

Like the Avengers, the interplay between the characters is what makes this movie special, and watching them become a closer team over time is both gratifying and entertaining. They all have such good chemistry with each other, and I would honestly pay just to watch these characters sit in a room together and have a conversation.

The soundtrack in this movie is awesome, and definitely one of the strongpoints of the movie. So many classic 70s and 80s songs are played throughout, and I almost felt like clapping along to the beat at times. If you don’t believe me, have a listen for yourself!     Star-Lord’s Awesome Mix Vol. 1

While there are so many good things to talk about with this movie, there are some things that could have been improved.  The Villain, Ronan, played by Lee Pace is pretty weak, and unfortunately falls into the category of forgettable marvel villains. Not everyone can be Loki I suppose. He just is bad for the sake of being bad, and doesn’t really have much motive behind his actions. He is basically a puppet for the all-powerful titan Thanos, a villain who will play a huge role in the MCU down the line. Thanos is teased in a couple of scenes, and he looks and sounds like a total badass. The Avengers look like they’ll have their hands full down the line. Since Guardians is so out there and different than any of the other Marvel movies, it took me a bit to get into it. There’s a lot being thrown at you in the first 20ish minutes, and it’s a lot to absorb. After it all soaked in, however, the fun really began, and I was able to enjoy the movie for what it was.

Guardians of the Galaxy is another great entry into the Marvel cannon, and is one of their best movies yet. It’s hilariously funny, and has some heart and charm mixed in along the way. The main cast is great, and their interactions are so entertaining to watch. I cannot overstate the music in this movie. Please click the link above and proceed to dance your socks off. The villain is weak, and movie is a lot to take in at first, but eventually you just have to enjoy the ride.

How do you like them apples? These apples are out of this world tasty, and only get better the more you eat them. A few sour bites along the way, but not nearly enough to ruin the experience.

4/5 galacticly fresh apples.