Unfairly Maligned

Ecliptic7

Now, I don't think this was a great movie. It's something to watch when you're at home with nothing to do and it happens to come on T.V. Maybe something to pick up out of the bargain bin at your local video store when it's for sale for $2.00. But that said, I did find it entertaining in places, and I don't think it deserves to be in the bottom 100 movies of all time.

I try to generally be forbearing of all kinds of humor. But exactly what is funny about a disgusting, boorish, stupid buffoon with zero redeeming qualities who is exaggeratedly and impossibly inept at everything he does but nonetheless manages to be perceived as some kind of hero or genius by law enforcement/the populace is and has been lost on me since I was a child. That is what Larry the Cable Guy is in Delta Farce and Health Inspector. I guess this is also what makes people like his comedy, but on stage he is just some (fake) redneck talking and making redneck jokes, so I can at least understand people finding that humorous. He is not in charge of anything, he is not responsible for the health of a town, nor does not have an armed humvee filled with weaponry. I can't sympathize with his stupid characters.

In this movie at least, I can sympathize with his goals, because they're actually human. He is a small town cop who naively dreams about being in the FBI. He is bumbling but nonetheless capable of moments of competence and of surprising cleverness. He has areas of actual expertise, a world view that can be understood, the morals and ethics of a decent (if backwards and unsophisticated) person. He feels like a real person. And I like that.

Witless Protection isn't that funny a movie. But it's more entertaining than the majority of made for T.V. capers you see these days. It has its moments. I really don't see how it can possibly be lower rated than his other movies. It's not 'mindless,' more intelligent than Health Inspector and Delta Farce, and nowhere near the level of movies like Gigli and Daddy Day Camp.

score 8/10

Ecliptic7 22 November 2008

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1979383/