Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Cop and a Half Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 18, 2018

Cop and a Half is a Fantasy film set in the real world. A young boy's obsession with law and order and the actions of the local Tampa cops (not to mention all of the ones he watches on television) leads him to do a little detective work of his own and eventually live out his dream of getting a badge and a set of cuffs at the age of eight. He's not the police world's equivalent of Doogie Howser but he does get to pal around with (the late) Burt Reynolds and get mixed up with some drug dealing bad guys. The film is predictable but decent, mindless fun and finds just enough heart to keep it afloat when cliché promises to overwhelm its manufactured scenes and sensibilities.

Eight-year-old elementary schooler Devon Butler (Norman D. Golden II) is regularly bullied at school. His response is to fantasize about being a cop, busting those who would do him wrong. He and his trusty water pistol patrol the school’s hallways and playground, but it’s never enough to save him from having his head flushed down the toilet. When he witnesses a police chase and scribbles down the license plate number of a suspect’s vehicle and later follows the same car to a warehouse where he witnesses a murder, he seizes the opportunity to play police officer, this time with real stakes and real lives on the line. But rather than just spill the beans and pin the killer, he wants to cut a deal: to become a cop, to get his own badge, and carry a set of handcuffs. He puts the police in a bind, and he’s paired up with the very reluctant Detective McKenna (Reynolds) who finds in his new “partner” an overzealous kid who has seen one too many TV cop dramas but who slowly discovers that the boy knows what he is doing and also discovers a new friend.

Cop and a Half was one of several Comedies released in the 1993-1994 timeframe about a kid suddenly thrust into an adult world. Rookie of the Year would release a few months later and Little Big League the year after. By that time the aforementioned (and more dramatically oriented) Doogie Howser aired its final episode about week prior to Cop and a Half's theatrical release. Ask most movie fans and Cop and Half probably rates at the bottom in any comparison between these ventures, but that doesn't make it a horrible film. Cliché, yes, unimaginative, sure, but the film runs with the general absurdity and squeezes out a decent bit of fun along the way. Devon and Nick's story goes through the usual permutations: Nick finds the eager kid an annoyance at best and in the way and in danger at worst, the two clash, Devon's persistence slowly earns him not only Nick's respect but also his love as a surrogate father figure, the two eventually bond, and ultimately end up working side-by-side to take down the bad guys. But even with a flat story, there's a certain charm to the pairing that doesn't overcome the trite narrative strings and generic relationship but that does just enough to tug at the heartstrings as Nick finds new purpose in life as a father figure to Devon and the boy comes to realize that there's more to life than imitating his badge-wearing heroes and ultimately deciding to put his dream on hold and enjoy being a kid again.

Norman D. Golden II would never land a gig in a feature film after Cop and a Half, appearing in a few television movies in the years to follow, but it must have been the experience of a lifetime to be paired with a screen legend right out of the gate. And he doesn't disappoint. The (then) boy acts like he's eight but he also acts like he truly is obsessed with the law enforcement world. He fills very big shoes with a surprisingly robust presence in various scenes, whether ticketing his principal for speeding or gathering essential intel on his own little mission to sniff out the bad guys. Reynolds doesn't exactly ignite the screen with his work, but he builds a believable, albeit trite, relationship and camaraderie with the child actor. Once he moves beyond disliking the idea and not particularly liking the boy, his evolution into a surrogate father figure helps solidify the movie and raise the stakes just a little bit for the climactic action sequence which is as comical as it is intense.

Cop and a Half Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cop and a Half delivers a surprisingly decent and occasionally very enjoyable Blu-ray video presentation. Grain is a bit uneven, sometimes appearing fairly even in density and consistency with occasional bursts of increased intensity and added snowiness while at other times it's largely absent, but never to the point that the image appears scrubbed down or devoid of detail. The image is fairly sharp and nicely detailed. Textures around Devon's school -- posters, worn down lockers, tile in the bathroom -- are all nicely revealing and clear, while facial features, clothes, and other environmental details, including police stations, warehouses, and various exterior locations, regularly reveal impressively stable visuals. Colors are varied and bright. Clothes, environments, little Devon's water pistol all present with eye-catching saturation and natural vibrancy. There are a few moments when colors run a little washed out around the 50-minute mark but such is the exception to the rule. Print wear is occasionally visible but never a serious problem. Likewise there are rare signs of edge enhancement, but other tinkering or source flaws are few and far between.

Cop and a Half Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cop and a Half features some faux surround sensations during a song inside a nearly empty warehouse location in chapter two, which is probably the most interesting moment in this otherwise meat-and-potatoes DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. Universal's audio presentation handles a few throaty motorcycle engine revs in chapter seven well enough: they are widely spaced and surprisingly detailed and weighty, even without a dedicated low end channel to add to the effect. Action effects at the end, which include a few gunshots, some toppling boxes, a high speed boat chase, and two boats making a risky jump, lack absolute sonic clarity and immersive positioning, but they're largely fine for the movie's channel limitations and the film's inherently straightforward sound design. The track picks up a few modest ambient effects, such as a ticking clock in an interrogation room in chapter three when Devon is cutting his deal to be a cop. Dialogue is never problematic and plays with a satisfying phantom center positioning.

Cop and a Half Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Cop and a Half contains one extra. The generically titled Featurette (1080i upscaled, 4x3, 5:57) offers a plot recap followed by then-young Norman D. Golden II sharing details about the characters and the story. Reynolds and Director Henry Winkler chime in as well in between on-set footage and clips from the film. The supplement and subtitle options must be accessed in-film via the pop-up menu. No top menu included. The release does not ship with DVD or digital copies. It also does not ship with a slipcover.

Cop and a Half Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cop and a Half hasn't aged well or found itself accepted within the ranks of cinema cult favorites, but it's a decent little nostalgic trip to simpler movies and simpler times (an eight-year-old wielding a colorful water gun on school grounds would certainly land him in deep trouble today). What the film lacks in creativity it at least partially makes up for with (manufactured) heart. Universal's Blu-ray is overpriced but not half bad in the video or audio departments. A throwaway vintage featurette is the only extra. Fans or anyone hungry for a taste of nostalgia should not hesitate to pick it up, assuming it's ever priced where it should be, which is around $5-$8.