Cops and Robbersons

But not as funny as I had hoped.Another clunker for Chase who's best work was in "Fletch" and "National Lampoon's Vacation". It even copies the ending credits style of "Vacation" with the photographs of the family. Watch once and fuhgetaboutit.

This was a nice flick to watch. I wish Chevy could have done MORE. He's too talented to be underused by the same director of 'Fletch' I was so happy to see a nice film with the real quality of friendship in it. It has a great script and terrific plot twists, with characters to fall over laughing about. The three leads set the tone of their characters with numerous dicussions on family However they are terrific with each other, and the whole supporting cast stands out well. (espescially Chevy) This film goes too over the top on Robert Davi's character. Davi is one of the best character actors in film.

"Cops & Robbersons" strongly reminds me of a Griswold Vacation movie. In fact, I kept expecting Chevy to call his kids Rusty and Audrey. The only difference is that the family in this film don't get to go anywhere. They are stuck at home with a couple of cops as live-in visitors. The police are doing surveillance on a criminal who lives in the house across the street. Chevy is up to his old "Boy, am I a clueless ... or what?" routine. What's extremely frustrating is the fact that nobody around him gives it any thought. Look at these two examples: First, he hides the two cops in the closet (don't ask!) and his wife comes downstairs. She asks what the noise is coming from the closet. He states that it is the cat. Then the daughter comes down the stairs holding the cat. What does his wife think about that? Nothing. Another example is when Chevy asks his neighbor (who is under surveillance) if he could use his bathroom. While his neighbor is on the phone, Chevy sneaks upstairs and cuts open the guy's mattress to the point that springs are actually popping out. What does his neighbor think of this? Nothing! I think you get the idea. The people in this film are so completely ignorant that the comedy falls flat. To make it worse, Jack Palance is downright vicious. I was absolutely stunned at something he stated to one of Chevy's kids. This is supposed to be a family movie. The only reason that this film gets 2 stars instead of 1 is the presence of Dianne Wiest. She appears as if she is in a film all her own. She is caring, charming and feisty all at once. However, I would only recommend this movie for diehard Wiest fans or for people who enjoy watching Chevy Chase act really dumb for 90 minutes. 3/10

I tell you what, man. When I saw that this film was given a 4.7, I had to speak up. I had to set the record straight- this movie is great. All joking aside. Yeah, the plot makes about as much sense as Face/Off. But over the years I have not met one person that watched this movie and wasn't repeating lines the next day. But enough about that. This movie has chemistry between the actors. There is just enough peril to keep the movie serious. It moves a long at a good pace. The dialog is about as funny as one could hope. Each character has some issue that is developed and ultimately resolved, which is not an easy feat with an ensemble cast like this. Also, this movie is to Jack Palance what True Grit was for John Wayne. Jack Palance's Detective Jake Stone is a caricature of his previous roles as a no-nonsense, cynical, chain-smoking bad-ass. Then you have Chevy Chase who is as funny as ever. For that matter, I really don't see how somebody that likes the Vacation movies could dislike this film. It's pretty much the same family, only they don't go on vacation. They have some cops come live with them and comedy ensues. Anybody who gives this movie less than a 6/10 needs to pull the stick out of their rectum.

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.

Horrible, corny Disney-style "family comedy" about a notorious criminal (Jack Palance) who moves in with family man Chevy Chase and, eventually, causes a whole lot of trouble. Very predictable and unfunny scenes occur in which there are some bad bonding moments and silly exchanges of dialogue. Chase and Palance don't blend well together, and they're hardly the next Riggs and Murtaugh...

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.

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.

Chevy Chase's family comedy "Cops and Robbersons" might have been made during the period where his box-office success was in a rapid decline (as this was somewhat a flop and the previous two before it), but I've always have a soft spot for this professional looking, but farcical comedy outing and that was mainly for the amusingly dry performance of Jack Palance as a weathered detective. Norman Robberson is a mild-mannered accountant who spends his free time watching TV cop shows. Soon enough he's living that life, when detective Jack Stone and his partner use his house as a stakeout to watch his neighbour that's a dangerous counterfeiter. Stone then finds himself caught up with the family and Norman's cop show obsession could just endanger the whole operation. As much as I enjoy watching a Chevy Chase film, it does pale in comparison to his early work but watching it again it surprised me how well it actually stood up. While not overly funny, it kept me watching. Teaming up again with Michael Ritchie the director of his smash 1985 hit "Fletch", Ritchie and Chase might not have the luxury of that smart script, but "Cops and Robbersons" is still sprightly written with the odd witty remark and amusing depictions of middle class suburbia. It's a typical formula, but it raises some inspired shenanigans if growing a little repetitive with its choices. Thinking about it, there was probably just not enough humour there or effectively brought across. It's madcap, accidental gags relying more so on the psychical and visuals with comical interactions between the dysfunctional characters. Ritchie's direction is straight-up, competently tidy with a slick streamline to it and having confidence in his timing. The cast balances out quite nicely. Chase gives his usual quick-on-the-feet performance, while alongside him Palance superbly grits his teeth. Dianne West is equally good with a level-head turn and Robert Davi suitably goes with a mock serious approach in a pigeon hold villain role. There's decent support by David Barry Gray, Jason James Richter, Fay Masterson, Miko Hughes and Richard Romanus.