`COP AND A HALF' REALLY IS KID STUFF

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 3, 1993                   TAG: 9304030232
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: C6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
`COP AND A HALF' REALLY IS KID STUFF
"Cop and a Half" is a good-natured, poorly-made kid's movie.
In terms of Hollywood formulas, imagine a combination of "Home Alone" and "Lethal Weapon" without the violence. The characters are thin stereotypes; the plot contains no surprises or suspense; overall, the film has a low-budget, almost made-for-TV look to it.
Devon Butler (Norman D. Golden II) is a bright third-grader who loves to play policeman. One afternoon, he happens upon a drug bust by Detective Nick McKenna (Burt Reynolds) and notes down an important license plate number. That, in turn, leads him to witness a murder by a comic gangster (Ray Sharkey). But he refuses to tell the police what they need to know unless they make him an officer for a day. His grandmother (Ruby Dee) objects, but Devon is adamant.
So we wind up with the cuter-than-cute little black kid teamed up with the gruff white cop who hates children. You know where this is leading.
For the record, the younger members of one preview audience seemed to like the beginning of the movie. They became bored and restless in the middle. Then they really got into it at the end, when the kids on the screen started throwing Twinkies at the bad guys and the big chase scene got rolling.
Director Henry Winkler never lets the action become too violent or too complex for viewers who can measure their age in single digits. Burt Reynolds doesn't exactly have to stretch to fulfill all the requirements of his role, and if Norman D. Golden II seems a bit amateurish, he's as photogenic as all get-out.
In the end, some kids will like "Cop and a Half"; some will be more interested in their popcorn and Gummi Bears. Older moviegoers might consider something more challenging, like "Aladdin" or "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III."
\ COP AND A HALF: ** A Universal release playing at Valley View Mall 6. 87 min. Rated PG for a little bathroom humor, mild violence.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB