As is the case with most directors, Kevin Smith’s filmmaking resume is filled with both hits and misses, and one of the most notorious examples of the latter is the buddy cop romp Cop Out. We’re coming up on the 10-year anniversary of the movie that critics not only panned, but Smith has acknowledged in the years since was incredibly frustrating to make. Nevertheless, he is glad to see that Cop Out is getting some love on Netflix now, as you can see below.
Cop Out is one of the many new offerings Netflix provided at the start of March, and as a fan informed Kevin Smith on Twitter, evidently it’s quite popular with the streaming service’s U.S. audience, to the point that it was the #9-ranking movie on Netflix stateside yesterday. Clearly the negative reception Cop Out received during its time in theaters isn’t reflective of Netflix subscribers’ enthusiasm for the movie, and though he was surprised to learn that, Smith is thankful that so many people have streamed it.
Kevin Smith also took the time to commend Tracy Morgan, who played Detective Paul Hodges in Cop Out. This was Smith and Morgan’s second time working together, as the latter previously played drug dealer Pumpkin Escobar in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. And I agree, if there’s one good thing to come out of Cop Out, it was that gif.
If you’ve listened to any interview or podcast where Kevin Smith has talked about his time working on Cop Out, you know that Tracy Morgan wasn’t who he clashed with on the production. That position was filled by Bruce Willis, who appeared opposite Morgan as Detective Jimmy Monroe. While Smith has said that getting the opportunity to direct Willis was one of the main reasons he signed onto Cop Out, he and the actor got into numerous disagreements during the course of filming.
Ultimately, Cop Out would go on to be one of Kevin Smith’s most negatively received movies, ranking at just 18% among critics and 39% among audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Ironically though, Cop Out still ranks as Smith’s highest grossing movie, collecting over $55 million off a $30 million budget.
Should you decide to take part in the Cop Out fun on Netflix, know that the streaming service is a good location for a general Kevin Smith marathon. Some of the other movies he’s made that are available there include 1997’s Chasing Amy, 2008’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno and 2014’s Tusk.
But Kevin Smith’s affiliation with Netflix extends past some of his filmography being available there. He’s also working on the animated series Masters of the Universe: Revelation over there, which is a direct sequel to the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon from the ‘80s.
As for Kevin Smith’s current filmmaking efforts, he recently finished his roadshow tour for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, which started hitting theaters last October. And Smith doesn’t plan on exiting the View Askewniverse anytime soon, as he has both Clerks III and Twilight of the Mallrats in the works.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital, and keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on Kevin Smith’s movie and TV endeavors. Keep up to date with the movies coming out this year with our 2020 release schedule.
