Good comedies are hard to do. Let's face it, we're bored with 'hangover II etc' and a comedy isn't funny if it just repeats previous comedies or if it is just banal humour.

Well, this film is neither intellectual nor cheesy. It has a really nice core story about these two great guys who have had very little success in life, but then they realise how powerful they are just by wearing police uniforms. The story seems simple, but the two main actors play it just right and it doesn't go over the top, but produces a really humorous film that kept be riveted. One of the best comedies I have seen, simply because it gets the balance right and is light, exciting, fun, has a little depth, and made me laugh despite my grumpy mood. Thoroughly recommended to everyone! No 'shocking'/rude comedy, simply excellent fun.

Upon its release, Let's Be Cops got negative reviews. It wasn't panned, people and critics just said it simply wasn't good. There is a group of people that loved this. Many cult classics were hated at first, then eventually get a fan base. I am part of that fan base.

What people really need to know about Let's Be Cops is that it's not a dim-witted comedy. Dim- witted comedies are like Strange Wilderness, Brothers Soloman, and Dude, Where's My Car? Those are plagued with dumb characters and a lack of intelligence and heart. Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. are the main characters who are much smarter than the average dim-witted character. Johnson is pretty close, but not quite. I will admit this movie isn't very funny, nor funny as a typical dim-witted comedy. Perhaps it would have been funnier if it had more dim- witted elements and characters. Perhaps not.

Let's Be Cops is about two thirty-year-old best friends, Ryan O'Malley and Justin Miller (Johnson, Wayans),who live in Los Angeles for opportunity, but think it's time to go back to Ohio. Justin works at a video game company where he is a big pushover; Ryan doesn't work and and aspires to nothing, just wishing he could play pro-football. When they intercept real police uniforms, they act like real cops, then get involved in a high-profile drug case. The first little bit when they dress up as cops and start acting like them is pretty funny because we all know everybody would try to abuse their privilege. Then the funniness starts to die down, but that is when the brains of the movie come.

What makes Let's Be Cops so appealing that so many people miss is what the police work does to Ryan and Justin. For Ryan, it gives him a sense of enjoyment and pride which he hasn't had in a long time. For Justin, it gives him confidence and helps with his assertiveness. That is what the movie is all about: finding your true self. Is the movie unrealistic and silly? Of course, but that's what makes it a nice watch. Two losers put on police outfits and something changes inside themselves. They find the respect they've always longed for.

3/4

Ryan (Jake Johnson) and Justin (Damon Wayans Jr.) are best friends and roommates. They are 30, struggling in L.A. and on the verge of going back to Ohio. Ryan is the former star quarterback who never made it to the pros. Justin wants to be a video game designer but can't sell his Patrolman game. They dress up as cops for their college reunion. Then Ryan has an idea to "Let's be cops". They challenge gangsters endearing themselves with the locals like Josie (Nina Dobrev). They are befriended by beat cop Segars (Rob Riggle).

It's odd that Jake Johnson is the former star quarterback. Damon might be able to pass for it. I do like the duo and their crazy stupid bromance. They are hilarious in those little scenes together. Stripping in club is funny. The problem is that they put the guys in a serious crime drama. That's not funny. This isn't 'Beverly Hills Cop'. The comedy is much broader so it can't do anything serious. It's a lot of silly idiocy. The point is that they really shouldn't be cops.