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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Can’t-Miss Comedy Is Off Target Two Comedians Put Unnecessary Energy Into Straight Roles In ‘Bulletproof’

Michael Rechtshaffen The Hollywood Reporter

The teaming of “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Adam Sandler and former “In Living Color” troupe member Damon Wayans must have looked promising on paper.

While both comedians are already enjoying solo film careers, the combination of Sandler’s man-child persona and Wayans’ wry, slow burn in an action-comedy setting seems like a can’t-miss proposition.

Yet somehow, the result of their first big-screen pairing - “Bulletproof” - fails to achieve the desired effect. While the producers are clearly hoping for the kind of chemistry that Will Smith and Martin Lawrence shared in “Bad Boys,” Wayans and Sandler never quite connect.

Likewise, the action and the comedy, as choreographed by Ernest Dickerson (“Juice”), also have trouble blending, and while the picture has its moments of off-the-cuff inspiration, other times the funny bits feel forced and the violence is similarly overplayed.

Wayans and Sandler play, respectively, Rock Keats and Archie Moses, an undercover cop and a petty thief who become best buddies - that is, until Keats’ true identity is revealed to Moses in a botched drug bust, causing Moses to accidentally shoot Keats in the head.

With the help of a metal plate and an attractive physical therapist (Kristen Wilson), Keats recovers and is instructed to bring the fugitive Moses back to Los Angeles to finger his former boss, drugpin Frank Colton (James Caan).

Built around these themes of trust and betrayal is a fairly threadbare story line from Joe Gayton (“Uncommon Valor”) and Lewis Colick (“Unlawful Entry” and the upcoming “Ghosts of Mississippi”). Dickerson, meanwhile, manages to add very little zip to the proceedings. Even at a spare 85 minutes, the pace drags.

As for the performances, Wayans plays it a little too straight, and the rigidity limits his potential range. Sandler, opting for a change of pace, also spends too much energy trying to show a more serious side, and it isn’t until he finally gives the people what they want (in a wonderfully warped motel sequence) that the vehicle finally begins showing signs of life.

The technical aspects are fine, with particular care and attention paid to the numerous, graphic gunshot wounds. Oliver Stone would be impressed.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: “Bulletproof” Locations: Lincoln Heights, North Division and Coeur d’Alene cinemas Credits: Directed by Ernest Dickerson, starring Damon Wayans, Adam Sandler, James Farentino, James Caan, Kristen Wilson, Bill Nunn Running time: 1:25 Rating: R

This sidebar appeared with the story: “Bulletproof” Locations: Lincoln Heights, North Division and Coeur d’Alene cinemas Credits: Directed by Ernest Dickerson, starring Damon Wayans, Adam Sandler, James Farentino, James Caan, Kristen Wilson, Bill Nunn Running time: 1:25 Rating: R