Lethal Weapon. Bad Boys 1 and 2. Beverly Hills Cop. These are all famous examples of buddy cop movies. Buddy cop movies are a staple in the action movie genre and for a time, they seemed to be the most popular genre out there. People could not go to the theater without seeing a new pair of cops joining forces to fight the villain of the week. Unfortunately, “Let’s Be Cops” just blemishes the name of a classic genre.

“Let’s Be Cops” (Rated R; 104 min) is directed by Luke Greenfield (The Girl Next Door, The Animal), staring Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr. and Rob Riggle. The movie follows two struggling pals: a game designer and a former college quarterback, who decide to dress up as cops for costume party. After becoming neighborhood heroes for the night, the two decide to continue the façade. Eventually, after a slew of awkward situations, the two run afoul of the local mob. They must then decide whether to give up on the fantasy or to fight the mob.

“Let’s Be Cops” is a film with an identity crisis. At times, the film wants to be a raunchy comedy with a little bit of ridiculous action movie violence thrown in. Because the film never fully decides what it wants to be, it never gains its footing and continually falls down any chance it gets. It seems as though someone gave the writers of the film Seth Rogan’s guide to writing an action comedy to read as homework, but they only read the Wikipedia summary. They got the gist of how to do it, but didn’t fully understand how to do it well.

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The film is an example of how poor writing can bring a film down, even with a premise full of potential and a cast of talented comedians. Character progression goes nowhere and offers no resolution. Justin (Wayans) and Ryan (Johnson) each have their own set of problems throughout the film, but no solutions are ever given. While everyone seems to change by the end of the film, it does not feel like genuine.

The film is full of jokes that do not land anywhere close to being funny. It’s hard to watch at times. Some jokes manage to be saved and even elevated past the source material. Many jokes are misused and the actors struggle their way through a majority of the film. No one is more misused than the Wayans. He seems to flounder for a large majority of the film. He is constantly looking for something funny to say, but only finds expository dialogue. His true talent is shown in scenes where he is let loose to do what he wants.

“Let’s Be Cops” is a combination of bad jokes, a sloppy plot and a misuse of talent. It is a depressing film at times and even makes one wonder why they went to the theater in the first place.

Jacob Pierce can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JacobPierce1_DE