Let's Be Cops (Rated C)
Cast: Damon Wayans Jr., Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle
Genre: Comedy
Dwight's Rating: 2.5

During the heyday of the so-called Golden Age of television of the 1950s and 60s, it would have been unthinkable for a bankable movie star to even consider headlining a television series. And conversely, it would have been nearly impossible for even the biggest TV star to land the top role in a major motion picture. Things just didn't work like that.
But today all the lines are blurred. We have Oscar-winning film stars in TV dramas and comedies, nearly everybody has a music album or a reality show or both, and the stars of still-in-production TV shows have received top billing in some of the biggest theatrical hits in this past decade.
So, to most people today, the fact that two stars of a middling-rated, still-on-the-air TV sitcom are starring in a wide-release comedy in the middle of summer would seem like no big deal. A pair of such stars -- Damon Wayans Jr. and Jake Johnson -- headline the new film "Let's Be Cops".
The two are regulars on the TV sitcom "New Girl", in which they are playful man-children in their early 30s struggling with their adult lives, relationships and responsibilities. Wayans was also on the short-lived and remarkably similar, "Happy Endings", which, before its cancellation in 2013, ran concurrently with "New Girl" on another network, and even more confusingly, ran directly against it in the same time slot at one point.
Why is it important to mention those two sitcoms? Well, primarily because in "Let's Be Cops", Wayans and Johnson seem to be playing variations of their own characters or other characters from those shows. Fans of "New Girl" and "Happy Endings" may feel they are witnessing extended versions of the programs. While this familiarity will be comforting and a draw to the movie for some fans, it may be tiresome for others.
In the film, the two play best friends struggling in their careers (or lack thereof) and personal lives. Sound familiar? Following a series of events, the two decide to pretend to be police officers. That gets them tangled up in big trouble with mobsters and real police officers.
In terms of being a buddy comedy, there's absolutely nothing original here. It all feels very familiar and similar to recent hits like "21 Jump Street" or especially "The Hangover" -- though not as raunchy and explicit as the latter. It is largely predictable, and certainly not earth-shatteringly groundbreaking. But it is relatively funny, with numerous laugh-out-loud moments.
But on this weekend before television's Primetime Emmy Awards -- an event which in recent years has been looking more and more like the Oscars in terms of the names of actors up for awards -- it does seem that the path to success for thespians moving from television to the movies is much less assured than for those doing the reverse. Television seems to be in the middle of a new Golden Age, arguably even stronger than the original. The film industry, on the other hand, has for years been stuck in a mire of recycling, imitation and unoriginality.
While "Let's Be Cops" is not an unpleasant experience, Wayans and Johnson -- two talented funny men with undeniable comedic chemistry -- may garner some more notice and attention for their film endeavor. But they are more than likely bucking the wrong trend, and if they continue on this path, would be heading away from the hotter medium today.
o Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of " Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.

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