Cops and Robbersons
Chevy Chase, Jack Palance
Originally released 1994
Mill Creek Entertainment 2016
I forgot how much fun Cops and Robbersons is. This comedy stars Jack Palance as a detective and Chevy Chase as a family man whose house and family is taken over for a stake out. Palance is fresh from his City Slickers Academy Award; Chase plays a variation of Clark Griswold. Thanks to Milll Creek Entertainment, Cops and Robbersons is now available in the 6 DVD Comedy 20 Movie Collection. A list of the 19 other comedies is included at the bottom of this review.
Detective Jake Stone (Jack Palance) learns a violent and wanted counterfeiter is in town. He commandeers the home of the very middle class Robbersons which neighbors the bad guy. The Robbersons are a seemingly happy family but scratch the surface and they all have problems. The detective’s no-nonsense style soon make him head of the household so Norman Robberson (Chase) feels threatened and starts trying to catch the bad guy all by himself.
Having seen Cops and Robbersons a few times over the years, I still fail to see why Siskel and Ebert panned this comedy or why it has such a low Rotten Tomatoes rating. Yes, the plot is a bit thin and Dianne Wiest is given little to do as Helen Robberson but the movie has more than a few good gags. One is the youngest thinks he is Dracula and tries to bite the detective until “Uncle Jake” does what it takes to get rid of a vampire. Another is Norman can’t seem to get the greasy spoon waiter to get his bagel order straight.
The ending of Cops and Robbersons is over the top but what do you expect from a Chevy Chase comedy? Other Comedy 20 Movies reviews
The movies featured on Mill Creek’s Comedy 20 Movie Collection are:
Punchline
(1988) / R
Sally Field, Tom Hanks
Postcards from the Edge
(1990) / R
Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid
Hollywood Homicide
(2003) / R
Harrison Ford, Josh Harnett, Lena Olin, Lolita Davidovich
Hudson Hawk
(1991) / R
Bruce Willis, Andie MacDowell, Danny Aiello
The Freshman
(1990) / PG
Matthew Broderick. Marlon Brando, Bruno Kirby
Cops and Robbersons
(1994) / PG
Chevy Chase, Jack Palance, Dianne Wiest
Threesome
(1994) / R
Lara Flynn Boyle, Stephen Baldwin, Josh Charles
Wilder Napalm
(1993) / PG-13
Debra Winger, Dennis Quaid, Arliss Howard
The Velocity of Gary
(1998) / R
Vincent D Onofrio, Salma Hayek, Thomas Jayne
Go!
(1999) / R
William Fichtner, Katie Holmes, Jay Mohr, Sarah Polley, Scott Wolf
Hexed
(1993) / R
Arye Gross, Claudia Christian
Jersey Girl
(1992) / PG-13
Dylan McDermott, Jami Gertz, Sheryl Lee
The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human
(1999) / R
Mackenzie Astin, Carmen Electra, David Hyde Pierce
The Suburbans
(1999) / R
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Craig Bierko, Amy Brenneman, Will Ferrell
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
(2007) / R
John C. Reilly, Kristen Wiig, Tim Meadows
The Brothers Solomon
(2007) / R
Will Arnett, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig
Just Add Water
(2008) / R
Dylan Walsh, Jonah Hill, Danny Devito
Can’t Hardly Wait
(1998) / PG-13
Ethan Embry, Seth Green, Jennifer Love Hewitt
High School High
(1996) / PG-13
Jon Lovitz, Tia Carrere, Mekhi Phifer
Dancer, Texas – Pop. 81
(1998) / PG
Breckin Meyer, Peter Facinelli, Eddie Mills II