"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
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