Cop and ½ (1993)

I saw this movie when I was about 11 during a free afternoon at school. Burt Reynolds made a lot of trash in the 90's and this probably isn't his worst film but it's still very bad. Reynolds, looking really old, tired and grouchy, is a veteran cop teamed with a Dennis the Menace-like little kid (Norman D. Golden II), who's obsessed with becoming a police officer, after the little brat witnesses a murder. It's probably a little unfair to bash the little kid's performance but he's horrible in this this thing. Reynolds takes the kid on a couple ride-along trips and starts to care about him. The forced sentimentality wasn't enough to stop me from cheering for the bad guys. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert argued pretty heavily in their review of it. Siskel ripped it apart and called it one of the worst films of 1993 while give Ebert gave it a thumbs up. It's actually pretty funny to watch (a lot funnier than this film) and worth watching if you have time to look for it on Youtube.

Third-grader Devon wants to be a cop (though he has an idealized notion of what being a cop means from watching TV), and he pretends he already is when he is at school. This gets him in trouble with the principal.Devon must also deal with bullies. He's not that tough when the kids are bigger.Devon lives with his grandmother Rachel, a nurse who does the best she can to raise him. One day Devon goes off by himself when he is not supposed to, and he witnesses a murder (we don't; it's implied).Reckless and curmudgeonly detective Nick McKenna is always getting in trouble, and when Devon wants to ride along with him, Nick has to let him. It's not like Nick's job is that secure. Nick has an attitude and seems to hate kids, and Devon is making his life miserable. Things get even worse when the crooks who committed the murder find out there was a witness and how to find him. Nick ends up with a roommate! But maybe Devon can Nick's attitude.This is pretty close to being a family-friendly film (acceptable for older kids, maybe), and it's quite funny. There are a couple of fun chase scenes. One scene is surely the fantasy of every kid who was ever in trouble with the principal. And the bullies get theirs too. Plus the crooks aren't all that bright or dangerous, and kids will love a scene reminiscent of "Snow Day" and the original "Home Alone".Burt Reynolds gives a good performance, although not one that compares with anything considered Oscar-worthy. Norman Golden is probably as close as any kid will ever be to becoming the next Gary Coleman (there was only one). And Ruby Dee has nothing to be ashamed of here: her character is strong and has values. And she's funny. No, it's not the sort of quality production she is normally associated with. But she adds to this movie.It was fun. That's the important thing.

Honestly, I sometimes wonder why IMDb members are sometimes harsh on family/kids movies. No, I did not watch Cop & 1/2 as a kid, but I still enjoyed it. What can I say, I'm a sucker for this kind of humor.Yeah, this movie was low budget with unknown actors (with the exception of Burt Reynolds), but I enjoyed this. Why? Because I found this movie to have clever humor, especially for a kids movie.So I ask you this, members, don't rate this movie if you hate it and never seen it as a child. You have to keep in mind that this movie was designed for the younger audience. If you don't like movies like this in general, then please don't rate it so low.Anyways, I found this movie to be overall decent with some good laughs.

I actually worked on this movie (not a film).From top to the bottom and beginning to end this one never had a chance.Burt seemed to be having a bad day - every day. Winkler had trouble keeping Reynolds under control - Burt seemed determined to direct. Every other shot Burt would try to include yet another corny gag - usually one that had worked in one of his previous flicks. Stunt Coordinator/second unit director Glen Wilder did an excellent job but could not make up for the general lack of focus.The movie is a series of lack luster scenes with characters that no one cares about, spouting lines that should make a third grader cringe. Even a corny gag can work if it is woven into the story but that doesn't happen in this movie.Absolutely the funniest scene wasn't even filmed - Burt walked in while a fake gut was being strapped on his stunt double - his reaction was...priceless.I think I'm being generous giving this a 3 out of 10 score and possibly a bit defensive - retch.