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It’s the subgenre that won’t die: in the movies, hardened cops are forever being teamed up with unconventional, patience-testing partners in what studios seem to feel certain is a sure-fire recipe for comedy gold. While these movies might still get laughs today, I doubt it’s the kind of laughs the writers were hoping for. You be the judge!
Theodore Rex
Whoopi Goldberg is a superstar cop who teams up with a dinosaur. I’m not sure which sounds more implausible.
Cop and a Half
An eight-year-old witness to a murder holds the keys to an investigation — but in exchange for information, he demands that the police force let him become a cop. Burt Reynolds is his curmudgeonly partner.
Last Action Hero
Thanks to a magical movie ticket, a real kid gets teamed up with a fictional cop. My favorite bit is when Schwarzenegger punches the lieutenant governor in the face and quips, “call me when the governor gets here.”
Kindergarten Cop
Thanks to a few memorable lines by Arnold (”it’s not a tumor!”), this movie has stayed lodged in the consciousness of millions who would have preferred to forget all about it years ago.
Top Dog
Chuck Norris and a dog. You can watch the whole movie on YouTube, here. I prefer the trailer in German:
Turner and Hooch
More cops and dogs! I couldn’t find the trailer, but here’s a classic scene from the film.
The Hard Way
James Woods is “New York’s angriest cop,” and Michael J. Fox is “Hollywood’s most spoiled celebrity.” And they have to team up to fight crime. As if the film itself weren’t one.
Red Heat
A Russian cop and an American cop, which was a pretty weird pairing during the Cold War.
Jesus and Hutch
Eric Stoltz plays Jesus, filling in for Starsky. A promo for a short film.
Comments (12)
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How dare you–
A. Bring back the dinosaur movie and the song? It took me years to push them to my subconscious.
B. Speak ill of kindergarten Cop?
posted by OM on 8-31-2009 at 11:08 pm
I liked Kindergarten Cop, but it wasn’t marketed correctly and scared the everloving ding ding out of kids (kidnapping? violence? dad huritng his kid and threatening him? evil grandma?)
posted by Helenann on 9-1-2009 at 12:41 am
It’s NAHT a toommmahhh!
posted by richard dixon on 9-1-2009 at 7:06 am
How about Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines, Tap dancer turned actor and non-talend turned even less talented?
posted by Haveatomato on 9-1-2009 at 7:32 am
red heat is an awesome movie!!
posted by dre on 9-1-2009 at 8:15 am
Stallone. Getty. Stop or my Mom will Shoot.
Captcha: suckle today
posted by Sleidy on 9-1-2009 at 8:35 am
I’m shocked you didn’t include ‘Dead Heat’ from 1988. A cop-zombie-buddy movie!
posted by Mathias on 9-1-2009 at 9:25 am
Chuck Norris speaking German FTW! I Need more of this kind of thing.
posted by Johnny Cat on 9-1-2009 at 12:05 pm
What about Men In Black II? Ok, maybe not a “Cop” movie, but he was paired with Frank the talking pug through part of the movie. Plus the guy who played David Putty on Seifeld.
posted by Matt on 9-1-2009 at 3:46 pm
James Caan and Mandy Patinkin in “Alien Nation.” Rough cop with an alien for a partner. Now those were the days.
posted by Matt on 9-1-2009 at 3:52 pm
Nearly everyone hated Turner and Hooch. Even Tom Hanks hated Turner and Hooch. But I believe it was the movie he established himself. Hooch was scene-stealing machine but had had to play 2nd fiddle when Hanks was in the shot.
posted by Tim on 9-1-2009 at 5:25 pm
In the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City game, you can listen to a radio station advertising a Miami Vice-ripoff called “Yuppie and the Alien,” about a Don Johnson-type character and his alien partner.
posted by Ryan on 9-1-2009 at 9:57 pm