'Cop Out' a case of arrested development

By RAFER GUZMÁNrafer.guzman@newsday.comFebruary 24, 2010

'Cop Out," a buddy comedy starring Tracy Morgan as a fast-talking cop and Bruce Willis as his slower-talking partner, initially appears to be willfully generic. And it is, except for one distinguishing characteristic: It was directed by Kevin Smith.

Yes, that Kevin Smith, who captured the apathetic, whiny, directionless 1990s with movies like "Clerks, "Mall Rats" and "Chasing Amy." Though largely populated by apathetic whiners who yakked incessantly in front of a stationary camera - talk about directionless - these indie flicks helped turn Smith into an alt-culture idol, primarily because, unlike his slacker fans, he had the moxie to actually make them.

Smith's amateurishness seemed endearing then, partly because his movies were unabashedly sincere at a time when hipster irony ruled.

But now, Smith has inexplicably been handed the reins of a formulaic Hollywood quickie that has no need for sincerity or D.I.Y. heroism.

That leaves Smith with only his amateurishness, and this time there's nothing endearing about it.

"Cop Out" follows its two heroes as they search for a stolen baseball card possibly worth $80,000. Their journey turns up a number of characters who screenwriting brothers Mark and Robb Cullen think are colorful: an antic burglar (Seann William Scott, grating), a kidnapped beauty (Ana de la Reguera, boring), a drug dealer and baseball fanatic (Guillermo Diaz, neither menacing nor amusing).

Clearly inspired by edgy action-laffers like "Pineapple Express" (starring a gun-toting Seth Rogen), "Cop Out" alternates poop jokes with scenes of people being shot in the heart. Even Smith seems unsure which parts are supposed to be funny: His shootouts are so clumsily staged that you keep waiting for a punch line. And when the punch lines do come, you'll wish they hadn't.