Tired…that is the feeling surrounding this film. It has been done before. Never great but certainly better than this. Nothing new is brought to the table here despite the attempt to do that through some new technology added. The drones and other tech found here don’t make up for the cheesy dialogue, predictable story and below average acting.
Veteran detective Mark Simmons (played by Lou Diamond Phillips) is grouchy. Grouchy and not living up to his shown potential as a detective. Hamstringed by his captain (played by Janet Kidder), who does not believe in him and the cloud of a previous case hanging over everything he does professionally. Add to this the fact that the disruptive Badge Bandit has been making a mockery of the entire polic force and you have a time which is not looking great for Simmons.
At the other end of the spectrum, 12-year-old Karina Foley (played by Lulu Wilson), whose deceased father was a police officer, believes herself to be a crack investigator. Whenever a “mystery” or small time crime crops up she puts herself on the case. The emergence of the Badge Bandit is a dream come true for her. So she assigns herself the case.
Needless to say, this does not please Simmons. He has no use for a child and especially one who points out his ignorance of the tech being used by the Badge Bandit. His captain thinks otherwise and says that Karina will be his partner on the case.
Definitely aiming to be a light family comedy. While some will enjoy it others will still be rightly expecting more from the underserved genre.
As the amount of silly scenes piles up I found my tolerance level falling. Precious few films makes sense in a reality perspective. Meaning that they would not happen in reality. That is a given in the film world and you should not go in expecting more. But there are limits. Here the story is completely ridiculous. It takes away from the cute moments.
No harm is done here. But the entertainment value is low.
Special Features:
-The Making of Cop and a Half: New Recruit
-Lou and Lulu: Partners in Crime Solving
