Cops and Robbersons

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.

Norman Robberson (Chevy Chase) is a typical husband and father who lives in the idyllic suburb of Pleasant Valley with his wife Helen (Dianne Wiest) and three kids with young vampire obcessed Billy (Miko Hughes), delinquent middle son Kevin (Jason James Richtor), and teenage daughter Cindy (Fay Masterson). While Norman goes to his mundane office job everyday, Norman often fantasizes about being a cop and has an encyclopedic knowledge of all the cop shows catching them in re-runs and renting episodes from video stores. When the police department learns notorious and violent counterfeiter Horace Osborn (Robert Davi) is hiding out in Pleasant Valley, the department sends gizzled veteran cop Jake Stone (Jack Palance) and his young partner Tony Moore (David Barry Gray) to stakeout the area using Robberson's home as the surveillance point. Norman is excited for the opportunity to get in on the action, but Stone finds himself irritated by Norman's antics.

Cops and Robbersons is a 1994 comedy vehicle for Chevy Chase that was one of the more "family skewing" roles the comedian took in the 90s as Chase's previous films such as Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Nothing but Trouble were underperformers and the market started favoring broader more family orientated comedies popularized by the works of Chris Columbus and John Hughes. Released in April of 1994, the film opened in an unexceptional second place behind sleeper hit Four Weddings and a Funeral in its sixth weekend and eventually closed out its run with $11 million making it financial disappointment. Critical reception was dismal with many making unfavorable comparisons to the film Stakeout and also making unfavorable comparisons between Chase's Norman Robberson and his Clark Griswold character. Cops and Robbersons is the kind of movie where it feels like they started with the title and then crudely tried to build a movie around it.

The movie is comparable to other broad police comedies of the time such as Stakeout, but is more targeted to the same audience that made Kindergarten Cop and to a lesser extent Cop and a Half successful. Cops and Robbersons is better than Cop and a Half by virtue of having better performances and a seemingly smoother production, but it's rather lacking when compared to Kindergarten Cop Chevy Chase is a funhouse mirror exaggeration of his Clark Griswold character as he plays Norm Robberson as so massively thickheaded you wonder how he's able to hold down a job or keep a roof over his head due to his multitude of idiot decisions that are divorced from reality. Chase is always at his best playing characters who fit his wiseass persona such as how Clark Griswold is properly written in Vacation and Christmas Vacation, Fletcher in Fletch or Fletch Lives, or Ty Webb in Caddyshack. The character that Chase plays so doesn't match his talents that it honestly feels like it was more written in mind for someone from a sitcom of the time like Tim Allen from Home Improvement or Ed O'Neill during Married with Children because these are basically sitcom characters doing sitcom things. Jack Palance is doing his usual growling intense performance, but he did give me some laughs such as his explanation to Robert Davi's character that Norm recently underwent a lobotomy (which probably makes more sense than it should) and the lion's share of what few laughs there are in this film mostly come from Palance.

Cops and Robbersons has a talented cast and isn't painful like some comic misfires, but it's also not nearly funny enough to sustain its paper thin premise that relies on the old staple of the "idiot plot" to keep itself going. The end result is yet another unfortunate misstep in the 90s leg of Chase's career but at least it's more watchable than his late night talk show.

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.

Chevy chase and jack "i'll take any role for the money" palance. When counterfeiters move into the hood, cops jake and tony (palance, gray) move in with the robberson family (chevy chase, diane wiest) to keep an eye on the crooks next door. Unless norm goofs it all up with his stumbling and bumbling. The stuff that made chase's career. It's all very okay. Pretty silly stuff. Really drags in the middle. They kind of ran out of material. Keep an eye out for the cook in the diner..... that's telly savalas' brother. Emmet walsh plays captain corbett. Walsh was hilarious in "what's up doc?". Story by bernie somers. Directed by michael ritchie, who is quoted as saying " i have no interest in directing. I'd be a bad director." and then directed 38 films. One of those was the awesome "fletch", also starring chevy chase!

This is a fun family type comedy about a crazy family in the ordinary suburbs that has to have some cops stay at there house to Stakeout a bad guy who lives next door!!!

Thats the basic storyline for this whacky Comedy, i always loved this film from way back in the 90s, when i had it on video & i was always a massive "Chevy Chase" fan as i grew up watching his movies, such as "Fletch" "Fletch Lives" "Spies like Us" "Caddyshack" & the "Vacation" films among others, Chase was always the king of comedy to me & still is in my opinion, Chase can always put a smile on my face & cheer me up so he means alot to me & here Chase is hilarious as family man "Norman Robberson" he's a nice average guy who loves old Cop shows & would love to be a Cop like in the movies, Chase is a warm joy to watch as usual & really is a fun family man, his Face makes me laugh so much even if he's being serious, a great actor & a comic genius!!! I wish Chase was my dad.

We get another legend of cinema with "Jack Palance" as the old grumpy Tough Cop "Jake Stone" who has to stay at the "Robbersons" house with his young cop partner on a Stakeout!!!

The rest of the cast is great with, one of my favourite B-movie actors ever, the Awesome Robert Davi who plays the "Bad guy" called "Osborn" who is staying next door to the Robbersons, Davi is fun at playing it completely straight & serious & we have Dianne Wiest as "Helen" who is very funny as mrs. Robberson & plays really well with Chevy Chase!!!

I love the cast & love this feelgood comedy, it's pure 90s fun with lots of fun gags especially within the Robbersons own family, they have a little boy who believes he's a Vampire & that makes some hilarious scenes with the Cops using his room to spy on the bad guys lol, we have the oldest daughter who takes a liking to the younger Cop so there's abit of fun romance, the house is full of crazy fun antics & Jack Palance really has fun in his role as "Jake Stone" especially when he has to pretend he's their uncle Jake!!!

Cops & Robbersons is just a good time movie, it's a silly fun family comedy with a two legends of cinema together with "Chase & Palance" it's no masterpiece but it doesn't have to be!!! It's a comedy CLASSIC though to me & is a very underrated comedy in my opinion!!! But i love it.