Cops & Robbersons (1994)

hyped garbage

Beautiful, moving film.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Mob hitman Horace Osborn (Robert Davi) lives next door to the Robbersons (Chevy Chase, Dianne Wiest) in the suburbs. Police detectives Jake Stone (Jack Palance) and his young partner are assigned on a stakeout in the family home.The obvious comedy comes from an odd couple pairing between Chase and Palance. It does not come off well and none of the comedy is funny. Norman acts unnecessarily stupid. It's all stupid. His actions make no sense. It makes the unfunny comedy even more unfunny.

I was actually quite shocked to see the only comment say this movie was very bad. My husband and I had a pretty good laugh with this one and were quite entertained. It's not going to be everyone's taste but if you like slapstick mingled with a bit of stupidity it's right up your alley. I will agree that it is no National Lampoon (Animal House) but it does follow in the same vein as the "Vacation" movies though. Chevy and Dianne made a great couple and have a great sense of timing that is so important to a good comedy. Chevy's character similar to "Vacation" develops from an disrespected head of the house to a respected Father. Don't pass this one by.

There's a passable premise here but the script is limp, the direction uninspired, and the cast simply putting in their time. The only scene that lingers in the memory is the one wherein Dianne Wiest accidentally bumps into David Barry Gray in the shower. Gray, incidentally, is one of those guys who looks like a 90-pound-weakling when he's fully dressed but once the clothes start to come off, he really improves.

The name of Dianne Wiest, the actress who won Oscars for her work in Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Bullets Over Broadway," does not appear on the cover of the video release of "Cops and Robbersons." Perhaps she isn't thought of as a big enough draw with audiences, and her name isn't expected to impact video sales. Then again, the talented actress may have seen the finished film and demanded that her name not be prominently featured in the advertising. If the latter scenario is correct, the question one must ask is why didn't Chevy Chase and Jack Palance follow suit and request that their names be taken off this execrable film?A look at their film credits in the actors' respective listings in Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia provides an answer: Both actors are simply immune to embarrassment. Chase has been in a veritable parade of stinkers, and Palance, despite appearances in classics like "Panic in the Streets" and "Shane" has an even trashier list of films to his credit. Made in Spain drek like "The Mongols" would be bad enough for the humblest actor, but titles like "Cocaine Cowboys," an Andy Warhol production, would make a litter-box smell pleasant, yet there it is in the Jack Palance filmography."Cops and Robbersons" has what seems like a surefire comic premise. A tough, veteran detective and his young partner move in with a suburban family to stakeout the next door neighbor. The fact that the family is headed by a fan of TV police shows only adds to the fun since the bumbling couch potato's excitement at being at the center of the action will lead to side splitting complications. Right?Forget it. "Cops and Robbersons" is yet another loser to which Chase and Palance have attached their names. There's an amusing moment now and then but, for the most part, one dead scene follows another and, before long, one can only scratch his head and wonder how this film got made. Chase and Palance are completely wasted, as are Wiest and Robert Davi. As for the direction, one has to ask another question: Whatever happened to Michael Ritchie? There was a time when he directed the brilliant beauty pageant satire, "Smile," and agreeable comedies like "The Bad News Bears" and "The Survivors." More recently, he's been reduced to drek like "The Couch Trip," "The Golden Child," and the two "Fletch" movies with Chase. With "Cops and Robbersons," Ritchie proves that, even when you've hit rock bottom, you can still sink a little lower.