Cop This Review: Unfunny Telemovie Wastes Huge Comedy Cast 2026

In our Cop This review, we dissect why this Australian telemovie, despite featuring a huge cast of comedians, fails to deliver even a single laugh. The film, set on grand final day, attempts to satirize a suburban police station being replaced by AI, but ends up as an onerously unfunny mess.

Cop This Review: A Comedy That Misses the Mark

No reputable scientist ever put forward the equation that more comedians equals a greater number of laughs. If one ever did, they could be pointed in the direction of Cop This, an onerously unfunny telemovie stuffed to the gills with Australian and New Zealand talent, most of them seasoned comedians. The cast includes – deep breath – Ed Kavalee, Nicolette Minster, Ray O'Leary, Gary Sweet, Rob Carlton, Tony Martin, Anthony "Lehmo" Lehmann, Dane Simpson, Celia Pacquola, Luke McGregor, Rob Sitch, Josh Lawson, Julia Morris, Dave Hughes, Dilruk Jayasinha, Lizzy Hoo, Tommy Little, Claire Hooper, Ryan Moloney, Lawrence Mooney, Mick Molloy, Glenn Robbins, Tom Gleisner, Kate Langbroek and Grant Denyer.

Those with even a passing familiarity with local comedy would know this is a formidable collection of talent, even if most do little more than hobble around for a scene or two, looking sheepish, fruitlessly trying to inject some life into languid dialogue and limp comic scenarios.

Why the Huge Cast of Comedians Fails to Deliver Laughs

Set on grand final day, the story revolves around a suburban police station whose staff are set to be replaced by an AI-powered terminal – essentially a tablet affixed to a cheap-looking robot. One attempted joke crash-lands into the next, the whole thing feeling like a murderously unfunny flapdoodle, staged with an astonishing kind of soullessness. The person with the most fingerprints on the blade is Kavalee, who co-wrote and stars.

The film's humor relies on tired tropes and forced banter, never landing a punchline. Even the usually reliable Celia Pacquola and Luke McGregor struggle with the material.

Key Takeaways from Cop This

• Wasted talent: A stellar cast of Australian and New Zealand comedians is squandered on a weak script.
• Unfunny premise: The AI vs. humans angle is poorly executed and lacks wit.
• Dire execution: Direction and pacing make the 90 minutes feel like an eternity.
• Missed opportunity: Could have been a sharp satire but ends up a dull dud.

Cop This Cast vs. Other Comedy Ensembles

To put the failure into perspective, let's compare Cop This with other ensemble comedies that successfully utilized large casts.

While Cop This boasts a larger cast than most, it lacks the sharp writing and direction that make ensembles like The Office work.

Final Verdict: Cop This Is a Comedy Catastrophe

In summary, Cop This is a misfire of epic proportions. Despite the impressive roster of comedians, the film is painfully unfunny. It's a stark reminder that star power alone cannot save a project from a terrible script and uninspired direction. Save yourself the time and skip this one.

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