Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Sadly Over-hyped

One of my all time favorites.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

To the concerned parent. Clearly this girl "identifies" as a much older woman, as well as a professional law enforcement officer. Obviously she is neither. I suppose that is why they intended this film to be for families and gave it a PG rating. Not to mention, Lou Diamond Phillips is a pure Gentleman. I see no harm here. Move along. Good Day. Jack

I was disappointed to see that there was a secret relationship with a grown man in a position of authority and a 12 year old girl, a relationship that continued through texting and sharing photos after the "case" was over. Children and adults are not friends and a 12 year old girl has no business secretly meeting up with a 50 year old man.The story line of a 12 year old girl who dreams of being a cop but is vulnerable and unsupervised by her single parent mom is not a unique one, however considering the threats to online dangers for youth I am surprised by the themes portrayed.

In the bonus track of the DVD for "Cop and a Half: New Recruit," the filmmakers described the project as a throwback to the 1980s "buddy cop" films now updated and revised with the latest technology for family entertainment. The energetic cast, including Wallace Shawn as the stodgy Principal Miller, helps to maintain the fast-moving pace of this light-hearted piece of fluff.The film was successful in creating the team of a beleaguered, "scruffy" detective (Lou Diamond Phillips) and a kid from the local Darville Middle School, who is an aspiring undercover cop. The little kid playing the role is great, and Phillips is perfect as the jaded detective in need of the kid's wherewithal and expertise in the new technology.There is an inventive theme to the kid's approach to detective work: "Don't panic. Just work the problem." The Americana that is depicted in the film is that of a Normal Rockwell painting. Except, in this case, there is a disgruntled law enforcement official calling himself the Badge Bandit, who beleaguers the town with pranks unleashed through drones to culminate with an embarrassing display set to occur during the Harvest Valley Festival.There is never any true danger, and there is great fun throughout the adventure. The one-liners and the gags are good. The kid knows all the cop lingo ("perp," "copy that," and "10-4, Cap"), and she also coins the word "ridonkulous" that seems like a perfect description of this inconsequential film experience as a whole.

I found this movie in Redbox and although it's not going to win any awards, I thought it was light fun and a movie that the whole family could enjoy. Lou Diamond Phillips and Lulu Wilson are excellent in the lead roles here. Phillips portrays the veteran Detective Simmons, who doesn't have much use for the latest technologies. He'll get some help from the tech savvy 12-year-old Karina Foley whose late father was a policeman and it's a job she wants to eventually hold. By circumstance, they'll work together on a case where someone is pulling pranks at one municipal venue after another, threatening the town's popular annual festival. The quirky characters in the supporting cast add well to mix here also.All in all, this comedy is a diversion from heavy dramas or action flicks, and surprisingly I found myself laughing quite a lot and enjoying the movie.