Rest in Pieces

I guess R.I.P.D. (2013) kind of sank without a trace. In case you don't remember it, it stars Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as buddy cops, with the twist being: They are dead.

It starts with still-living policeman Reynolds hiding something from his hot girlfriend. We discover that it is some gold that Reynolds and partner Kevin Bacon stole from the bad guys, and plan to keep, because they aren't exactly good guys. But when Reynolds starts talking about giving it back, Bacon kills him.

Instead of going to judgement, he gets assigned to a dead policeman squad by celestial bureaucrat Mary-Louise Parker. His partner will be old-west lawman and annoying storyteller Jeff Bridges. Their job: Make sure the deados don't stick around one Earth, stinking up the place.

So, this is obviously Men in Black crossed with Ghostbusters. The big special effects (which start right out the gate, before the credits) are kind of fun, and Jeff Bridges is pretty decent as the crusty old-timer. Kevin Bacon makes a pretty scary bad guy, what with his skull trying to pop out of his face and all. But Reynolds is kind of an inert blob here (always? In every movie?), and overall, the jokes don't make it over the gate.

Still, it has its moments, like the little cowboy song Bridges sings, "Better Man". Since it was written by T-Bone Burnett and all, this made us queue up Crazy Heart.

In conclusion, I kind of liked the Boston locations. I wonder when they are going to make a movie about Portland, and film it all in Boston?