As Good As It Gets

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

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.

There are buddy cop films...and then there is this gem! Well acted, directed, and written you can't go wrong with this film. Upon my eighth viewing I finally absorbed the humanity of this film, fantastico! Golden ii, is awesome and Burt just feeds off his lil' buddy. The cinematography was the only thing I really took issue with. Solid soundtrack, sweet beats throughout. Villains are OK, but good luck getting away with murder with these two on the hunt. If you have nothing to do on Sunday's and you get HBO just look, it'll be there and this baby will get you couch bound, and teach you some valuable lessons. Definitely better than Racing Stripes.

Widely panned spoof of the Hollywood buddy cop movie, but if you were a preadolescence in the 1990s, you may have a soft spot for this one. Admittedly ridiculous plot about an eight-year-old witness (Norman D. Golden II) cutting a deal with the Tampa Police Department to provide them information if he could immediately be a cop… and, for some convenient reason, is partnered up with the short-tempered child-hating Reynolds. Ray Sharkey plays the primary antagonist in his final performance, a big band singing killer with plenty of goofy henchmen in tow. If you're able to look past how unrealistic the movie is, it is ultimately incredibly funny and entertaining; with Norman D. Golden II having the perfect attitude for pulling off a kid with a badge, while Reynolds is able to make good use of his big temper and explosive facial expressions. Originally intended to be a sequel to KINDERGARTEN COP.*** (out of four)

If all cop/buddy movies were like "Cop and 1/2," the genre would have died years ago. This is a spoof of the formulaic cop/buddy picture with a surprisingly exhausted-looking Burt Reynolds playing a detective teamed up with an unctuous, would-be-suave brat who dreams of wearing a badge. The kid is played by Norman D. Golden II. This is the first and only picture that I have seen him in and judging by this performance, I think he made a wise decision in leaving acting and taking up music for a career. Even if his performance was anything apart from irritation, I think a movie this devoid of fun and laughs would have scared him away.Mr. Reynolds has been a great actor before, but here he looks just as bored and fatigue-stricken as I was watching this unfunny debacle. He has to team up with young Mr. Golden because the latter is a murder witness and he won't share his information unless they let him do what he's always wanted to do: be a cop. So, yeah, you've got the devoid-of-manners, ostentatiously ambitious brat following the grumpy, withheld detective around and a chain of gags and relations that are neither charming nor funny.The movie as a whole is nothing more than over-the-top make-believe buttered with a pretentious, "please-like-me" attitude. You've got lame moments such as the kid having his head dunked into a toilet by a pair of school bullies, the tiresome punch-in-the-groin gag, and a villain played by Ray Sharkey who would rather sing 50s jazz than deal drugs. Here are moments where the movie even tries to live up to the silly mob comedies of the 1930s and 40s. Joe E. Brown must be turning in his grave. And then there is an incredibly lame and all-too-obvious to Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus" that makes any loyal film historian groan. The picture is also unfunny because it's badly directed and frequently missing key shots so that the would-be jokes are not even fully registered and we have to think a little bit before we catch on to what the writers thought would be funny. The only chuckle from me came when the female police captain walked into the mens' room and nobody took half a notice.The central problem, however, is that there is zero chemistry between Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Golden. The follow-through of their relationship is predictable from the start, the dialogue between them is mechanical. Mr. Golden seems enthusiastic, but I've already touched on my opinion of his acting competence. Mr. Reynolds seems just too tired and bored to put up much of an effort. It's not one of his finest hours."Cop and 1/2" is hokey tedium for adults and I think it's fair to say it would leave younger audience members restless. And then perhaps it's not a movie for little kids to see for it does contain some profanity, violence, and images of drugs. Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Golden are not strong contributors and the supporting performances by Ruby Dee, Ray Sharkey, Holland Taylor, and Frank Sivero are outside their comfort zones. I think everybody was happy when the making of his movie was over. They were probably even happier when it faded into obscurity. Is there anything that works? Hmm...Alan Silvesti's score and that's about it.