Luke Greenfield is known for making ridiculous movies such as The Animal and Girl Next Door so for him to direct/co-write a ridiculous buddy cop film is almost expected. This expectation is fulfilled as Greenfield has made Let’s Be Cops, which feels like a remake of Bad Boys but more in the realm of the second outing, which proved to be more ridiculous and fun than serious and intelligent. Despite it not being as witty as one may hope for, it still packs a strong punch in the laughter department, ultimately making it a solid comedy.

The movie stars two best friends, who seem to be down on their luck as they moved from Ohio to California to follow their dreams. Ryan (Jake Johnson) whose goals don’t seem to ever be apparent and Justin (Damon Wayans Jr.) who moved to Los Angeles to become a video game developer but gets constantly thrown under the bus and is forced to be the office gopher. Justin’s game is a take on the 2003 True Crime where you play a police officer on a mission to clean the streets of Los Angeles. His idea is constantly getting thwarted down and is being replaced by ideas such as “Firefighters vs Zombies” a concept that is so painfully unoriginal. On their way to a ‘costume party’ Ryan gives Justin the option of either being bed sheet ghosts or borrowing his game’s costumes and being cops. After dawning the uniform they discover that people truly believe they are cops.

This is where the movie starts to get out of hand and over the top ridiculous, but it works. When the un-dynamic duo goes back to their favourite restaurant with hostess Josie (Nina Dobrev) she confronts them about the issues with the crime syndicate that is constantly terrorizing the neighbourhood. This syndicate is lead by Mossi (James D’Arcy), and is truly a formidable opponent. Justin and Ryan decide to take it upon themselves to try and take down Mossi and his gang, but they realize that they’re in way over their heads.

The movie has that Bad Boys feel because the dynamic that Damon and Jake have is strikingly similar to the dynamic of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. However, the comedy between the two leads and their chemistry soars to create a thoroughly enjoyable movie. If Damon and Jake did not allow themselves to truly indulge in each other’s antics the movie would have become dull and fallen apart extremely quickly.  Their chemistry is what holds the film together.

Let’s Be Cops is constantly funny with very few twists and turns, but lends itself to an audience that is seeking out another duo with great chemistry. If you are searching for a lesser, but still enjoyable, version of 21/22 Jump Street or Bad Boys, Let’s Be Cops certainly will fill the void. As well as the soundtrack within the movie, despite it being minimal has a few great moments that truly allow this movie to become funnier than it should be. Bad Boys 3 with a new cast and a tweaked idea, is simply called Let’s Be Cops. 

[star v=35]