Un policía y pico

Cute little black kid wants to be a policeman. The diminuitive star, Norman Golden III is out to steal your heart while it feels like like the film-makers have stolen your wallet in the process.

This comes about a decade too late after the trend of cuddly black "child" stars Gary Coleman and Webster, who were both in their late 30's during their heyday. (I've always thought that a great idea for a TV show would be something called "Shrunken Miniature Black Man" cause apparently that's the way America wants to see them.) Anyway, back to this film...

It's basically Burt Reynolds co-starring with his toupee and trying to look put-upon by Golden. In actuality, over the course of the 90 minutes, actor Reynolds spends a lot of his on-screen time sweating profusely. It's actually kind of creepy.

This is one of my childhood favorites! Yes, the plot is pathetic and unbelievable. Yes, the boy is no Dakota Fanning. But Cop and a Half is a very enjoyable movie for people between the ages of 4 and 10. I mean, this movie wasn't marketed towards art school graduate students. The situations are very light-hearted and the jokes corny enough for the young age demographic.

This is also a good movie if you enjoy making fun of B-movies (especially with your friends... and beer). There are numerous plot holes and the man-boy love undertones are hilariously disturbing.

Do not watch Cop and a Half if you are a cantankerous old geezer!

Burt Reynolds has shown a subtle comic flair in films like "Sharky's Machine" and "Shamus" (or even in "Stick"), but his work here, in a broader kind of comedy, is joyless. The kid does show some spirit, but as a "buddy" team these two rarely click. The film was probably supposed, among other things, to satirize the most familiar cop-movie cliches, but it's one big cliche itself, and has a rather erratic tone. (*1/2)

Third-grader Devon wants to be a cop (though he has an idealized notion of what being a cop means from watching TV), and he pretends he already is when he is at school. This gets him in trouble with the principal.

Devon must also deal with bullies. He's not that tough when the kids are bigger.

Devon lives with his grandmother Rachel, a nurse who does the best she can to raise him. One day Devon goes off by himself when he is not supposed to, and he witnesses a murder (we don't; it's implied).

Reckless and curmudgeonly detective Nick McKenna is always getting in trouble, and when Devon wants to ride along with him, Nick has to let him. It's not like Nick's job is that secure. Nick has an attitude and seems to hate kids, and Devon is making his life miserable. Things get even worse when the crooks who committed the murder find out there was a witness and how to find him. Nick ends up with a roommate! But maybe Devon can Nick's attitude.

This is pretty close to being a family-friendly film (acceptable for older kids, maybe), and it's quite funny. There are a couple of fun chase scenes. One scene is surely the fantasy of every kid who was ever in trouble with the principal. And the bullies get theirs too. Plus the crooks aren't all that bright or dangerous, and kids will love a scene reminiscent of "Snow Day" and the original "Home Alone".

Burt Reynolds gives a good performance, although not one that compares with anything considered Oscar-worthy. Norman Golden is probably as close as any kid will ever be to becoming the next Gary Coleman (there was only one). And Ruby Dee has nothing to be ashamed of here: her character is strong and has values. And she's funny. No, it's not the sort of quality production she is normally associated with. But she adds to this movie.

It was fun. That's the important thing.

It's great to see Burt in a comedy, even though he's terrible as a long wolf cop, with a short fuse, who's now saddled with a not so normal partner, an 8 year old kid, who's seen Miami Vice too many times. He likes to play cop on the school grounds with his friend, and like all 8 year olds, likes to get lost in fantasy: pretend. This all changes, when he's witness to a murder committed by these dumb goons with low iq's headed by Ray Sharkey, this the last film he did, before he subsequently died, and we can see his sick form showing, which is sad, as he turned in a last great, bad dude performance. His character's hobby besides murder101, is he likes to sing 60's rock songs, in his sound proof booth, as thinking he's the re-inventive Elvis. Nothing can be further from the truth. Norman Goldstein 2n'd is a sheer revelation, bringing in such a natural acting performance, which is engaging, is it's bloody entertaining. Watching Burt and him go off at each other is gold. The premise has him agreeing to give Burt the plate number of the thug's vehicle, on the condition he rides shotgun with him. And of course, the kid gets his way, but this natural actor is such fun to watch. Cop And Half has a few funny bits, the same bits, which had me laughing again, the second time, around, but it's not overly funny. It's a very entertaining family film, and there's real cheese in a few places. The film has heart too, Reynold's becoming a possible father figure. As a police captain, a familiar Two And A Half Men face, was wonderfully warm, bringing softer more, understanding moments. One image you'll never forget are many flying Twinkies.