Director: Luke Greenfield
Stars: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev, James D’Arcy, Keegan-Michael Key and Andy Garcia
Ryan (Johnson) is a 30 year old living off his earnings from a herpes commercial and continually relives his past glories as a high school football star. Justin (Wayans Jr.) is a 30 year old still aspiring to be a game designer, but relegated to writing notes at meetings. The two are best friends and roommates, and are at the lowest point of their lives. However, when they dress up as cops for a costume party they realize that people treat them differently and soon become addicted to the attention they receive, and the rush of upholding justice. This confidence bleeds into other areas of their lives but it becomes all too real when they interfere with the Russian mafia.
I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. It’s a buddy-cop movie without the leads actually being cops. The two leads worked well together and I bought that they were best friends. I also liked how at first they were just having a laugh, but gradually they got more and more into their roles until they weren’t just role-playing anymore.
Most of the humor came from the hijinks they got into while wearing the uniforms, but I can’t believe that some of the stunts they pulled didn’t get any attention. It seems that people are quick to film or draw attention to times when police act bizarrely in the real world, so it feels a bit odd that the two of them were able to get away with everything they did. But I did like how, even though they got quite far into being cops, they weren’t shown to be better than cops.
It’s a decent film that’s amusing and entertaining. The leads have good chemistry and are likeable, and the plot holds the attention of the audience. It’s not a must-watch but it is one that is worth watching.