By Shane Conto
Have you ever watched a film that seemed like it was written by a machine that was programmed to capture as many possible little aspects of successful films into one script? Yeah…we all have, haven’t we? Do you recall that feeling you get watching that film and realizing that you are just watching something that fell off of a conveyor belt and has no specific interesting aspect to make it stand out from the crowd? Unfortunately, that is what I felt sitting and streaming Coffee & Kareem on Netflix.
This “original” comedy takes Ed Helms, who is still known for his work on The Office and The Hangover, as the straight man and pairs him up with a vulgar and angry young man played by Terrence Little Gardenhigh. We have all seen this one before. The “buddy cop” story has been done plenty of times combining an uptight cop with a wildcard who is unpredictable (i.e. Lethal Weapon). Then you have the comedy that plays off the trope of having kids curse and make inappropriate jokes…because it is funny? But wait there’s more! Let’s take the trope of a pair on the run after witnessing a murder which is done so well in classic comedies like Some Like it Hot. But what good would a cop film be if there wasn’t some shady work being done by some police? Dirty cops always make things more interesting right? This can only get more interesting if that kid’s mom is dating the cop so we can get some good laughs and emotional moments from the “you’re not my dad” conversations. You have Taraji P. Henson, an extremely talent actress who is finding a chance to shine at this point in her career, get to play the angry, mama bear role without much else going for said character. Even better, let’s throw in some racial issues too. These themes are then treated with the finesse of the stampede from Jumanji. What do you get when you mix this all up and bake it into a movie? You get Coffee & Kareem.
Michael Dowse directs this film coming off the heels of his action comedy from last year, Stuber. The direction of this film feels pretty by the numbers as the action sequences are average and over edited like many films today. The tone is not particularly balanced either as I never felt like I was supposed to take anything seriously at all despite cops being killed or the lives of a child and his mother being in danger. The film lacks depth in anything that is more than just trying to get a cheap laugh. Perhaps the biggest issue of this film is that it doesn’t know who it is serving. This is an R-rated flick that has tons of laughs, dirty jokes, strip clubs, violence, and blood. But most of the jokes are very childish and juvenile.
The film is written like it is a comedy for kids but then those same kids will be alienated by the harsh tone and adult content.
When I sit back and think about my experience watching this film, I really cannot recall laughing…at all. I honestly felt more uncomfortable due to how cringy most of the humor is, especially all the humor that is geared towards racial issues. Helms and Henson do their best with the material given and so does Netflix’s rising star Betty Gilpin who is regulated to an over the top cop caricature. If you enjoy some crazy and raunchy comedy that is an easy to digest watch, this one might be worth the short runtime on streaming. If you want some clever humor or emotional depth to your comedies, Coffee & Kareem will probably leave you with nothing but a bitter taste in your mouth.