Since the initial release of the trailer back in December people all across the blogosphere have been attacking Kevin Smith’s latest film Cop Out for a whole host of different reasons. Whether it be nit picking the fact that Smith’s name isn’t on the trailer, which as Smith himself defended (his name is never on ANY of his trailers). Or the fact that people say the movie looks like a stupid, watered down action comedy. It has become clear, at least to this writer, that people have lost sight of what this movie is: Kevin Smith’s attempt at a studio picture. There are some things that need to be addressed.
First and foremost is the trailer. This film is a hard R comedy, at least in terms of language. This means a lot of fucks, asses, and shits. When the trailer was first released, I took a moment and read the opening scene of the script and it was a good indication of the rough language contained in the film. The fact that people are attacking a GREEN BAND trailer for not being funny seems a bit unfair to me. Look at the green band trailer for the latest R-rated comedy success, The Hangover. The trailer is funny enough, but the film proved to be the most hilarious comedy of the year. That seemed to be a similar reaction I heard from people regarding the Cop Out trailer: it was just mildly funny, not side-splitting.
It should also be remembered that trailers are all about marketing. Marketing to the majority market that will see the movie. Warner Bros. is in no way selling this movie to film buffs, bloggers, or Smith fans. Why? Because they know we are already going to see this movie. We don’t need to be sold on Cop Out. However, people who have never heard of this movie before, i.e. the majority market, needs to be sold the movie because a Bruce Willis/Tracy Morgan buddy cop comedy is foreign to them. Based on the reaction I saw from people when it played in front of Sherlock Holmes, I would say Warner Bros. succeeded.
[Now this piece was originally supposed to run before the Red Band was released. But since that was released early, here are my thoughts on the reaction to it. I had no doubt that, that trailer was going to be the one to turn people around. The reason being, that trailer WAS made for the internet crowd that already knows about the film. We are the ones Warner Bros. is marketing too in this case and like the green band, they succeeded.]
My next case in defense of this movie is Bruce Willis himself. This movie is in a genre that Willis knows all too well. He has played this character 10 times over. He knows what not to do and what to do to make the movie work. When I attended Smith’s Q + A at Carnegie Hall this past summer, he told a story about Bruce Willis and how he likes to have input on the film. This coupled with the previous facts should set everyone at ease. Also, unlike Seth Rogen in Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Bruce Willis is always bankable in this genre. Morgan also has a built in fan base from 30 Rock, so that will be a big help as well.
As I stated before, I have read some of the script for this film. It sat on the Black List for a while before it was picked up. It’s written by The Cullen Brothers. These two have mainly written and produced television work before now. Their most recent project was a television pilot for a show called Manchild. Ironically, Smith was set to be one the lead characters in the show. According to statements made by Smith in his third Q + A DVD, the show would have been picked up by Showtime had it not been for Californication swooping in with a built-in fan base. The pilot for the show has since made its way to the Internet and I highly suggest you all seek it out for yourselves because it’s all the proof needed that the Cullen Brothers know comedy.
Now comes the next, and perhaps, most crucial fact that people constantly point out about Cop Out: “Smith didn’t write this film, thus it is doomed.” It’s true, Smith has never directed a FILM that he did not write. But, he has directed projects that he did not write himself. I would like to take you all back to 2007. The CW was just starting out and they were developing many projects that would hopefully make it to air. One of these projects was a show called Reaper. Reaper centered around a 20-something kid whose parents sold his soul to the devil before he was born. He is now forced to be the devil’s bounty hunter and collect souls that have escaped from hell. Smith was made an offer to direct the pilot for the series. Watching the pilot, it’s clear that Smith is a capable filmmaker who doesn’t need to be attached to a project from its inception for it to succeed.
Which brings me to another point: because Smith wasn’t with the project during the writing phase, he has stated that he was more open to collaboration and suggestion during production. Any filmmaker will tell you that once you get an idea in your head for a scene, it is near impossible to have that idea changed by outside opinion. But since Smith didn’t write it, he felt more confident and trusting in the people around him to help him with certain aspects of the film. In that Carnegie Hall Q + A he stated that he would often turn to The Cullen Brothers and ask them what they envisioned for certain scenes since they were the ones writing it.
Cop Out is a film that will have the Smith touch. It won’t sound like a Kevin Smith film, and might have a quicker pace than his usual work. But, it will be a Kevin Smith film. No one can deny that. This is a film that was grown for success. This is a film that is meant to show what Kevin Smith is capable of outside of his norm. This is the film that will prove to the world that Kevin Smith is more than just dick and fart jokes. Come February 26th, don’t be surprised to see Cop Out gain #1 at the box office (unless Shutter Island has two weeks in it).
Do you think that Cop Out will succeed?