R.I.P.D.

Cast of Characters:
Roy Pulsipher - Jeff Bridges
Nick Walker - Ryan Reynolds
Bobby Hayes - Kevin Bacon
Mildred Proctor - Mary-Louise Parker
Julia Walker - Stephanie Szostak

Director - Robert Schwentke
Screenplay - Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi
Rated PG-13 for violence, sci-fi/fantasy action, some sensuality and language including sex references

      Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds team up together in the buddy sci-fi/action flick, R.I.P.D. Is it just me, or are any of you experiencing some deja vu right now?

      Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds) is a Boston cop who is killed by his long-time partner Bobby Hayes (Kevin Bacon) during a drug bust. Upon entering the afterlife, he is greeted by Mildred Proctor (Mary-Louis Parker) who - due to Nick's skills - offers him a position in the Rest in Peace Department (R.I.P.D.). The job of those in the R.I.P.D. is to capture ghosts that have escaped to earth disguised as humans (aka Dead-ohs) and return them back to judgment. At first, Nick is naturally befuddled by all this, but given the choice between the R.I.P.D. or face judgment himself, he chooses the former.

      Despite his fifteen years in the Boston Police Force, Nick's now a rookie in the afterlife. Mildred pairs him up with Roy Pulsipher (Jeff Bridges), a crusty old gunslinger from the 1800's. Roy adamantly states he works solo, but reluctantly takes Nick under his wing.

      At the beginning, I mentioned deja vu. I swear I've experienced this before. Young, hotshot cop that thinks he knows everything, but is soon introduced to a crime fighting force he never knew existed. He's then partnered up with a surly son of a bitch as they take down creatures blending in with humans. Hmm... Where have I seen that before? Maybe it was - I think it starred Will Smith... Oh, yeah, Men in Black. That's right. This movie is essentially a ripoff of the 1997 sci-fi/comedy. In fact, I think screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi just printed out the script to Men in Black, and inserted a cowboy hat for Tommy Lee Jones's character and wherever an alien was mentioned they scribbled in "ghost". The writing is weak, lazy, and half-assed. While I'm at it, I'll also mention it rips off of Ghostbusters. Kevin Bacon is certainly a terrific actor, but he's given very little to do here. Plus, I could see the so called "twist" concerning him from a mile away. The direction is really nothing special, and the CGI effects are uninspired and at best mediocre. One bright spot though: Mary-Louise Parker. She was good here... not that it mattered.

      Obviously, Jeff Bridges is a treasure of an actor. I can think of at least a dozen movies of his that are well worth your time. Here, other than a few inspired moments, it clearly seems like he's thinking, "Yeah, I'll just phone it in for the whole ninety minutes... So, yeah, where's my paycheck?" Ryan Reynolds has the talent to be a great actor. Unfortunately, more often than not, he's starred in crap. If I were him, I'd fire my agent. The fact that both he and Bridges really have little to no chemistry together doesn't help either. Bottom line is, this is just a poor man's Men in Black, and by poor, I mean food stamps poor. I give R.I.P.D. a D+ (★½).