Looking at the cast of the new 2020 Netflix comedy COFFEE & KAREEM, you expect big laughs. Prepare to be underwhelmed.
Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) is less than stellar policeman James Coffee.
He's dating Vanessa (Taraji P. Henson of "Hidden Figures") and trying to bond with her 12 year old son Kareem (Terrence Little Gardenhigh).
Kareem cant stand Coffee and sets up the perfect opportunity for a local criminal to scare him off, but it all goes horribly wrong when they both witness a murder by a drug kingpin.
That's predictable enough.
Now toss in a cocky female detective (Betty Gilpin of "Isn't It Romantic" seems like she thinks she's in a cartoon she plays everything so broadly) who hates Coffee and seems to be gunning for him, and a supportive Captain that has Coffee's back and you've completed the template.
David Alan Grier, who's always hilarious, is given very little to do as Captain Hill, it feels like all his best comedy bits must be on the cutting room floor. Grier is a talented actor, wasted on a weak script.
It's a little unsettling to see this many four letter words spilling out of a 12 year old kid and Gardenhigh is just never that likable in the role.
Helms is a funny guy, but some of his best scenes are when he's alone on screen, and that's not a good sign.
Henson steals every scene she's in and is the best part of the movie, too bad she spends most of it off screen.
It's only 88 minutes long and that's a good thing, because it wore out its welcome about 60 minutes in, well before its goofy conclusion that's long on bullets and short on laughs.
Meh, I'll give it a D+. Henson and Taraji deserve better.
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