Underclassman: Teen Cop

Directed by Marcos Siega, Underclassman: Teen Cop follows reckless police officer Tracy “Tre” Stokes (Nick Cannon) as he’s sent undercover into a high school to solve a murder. It’s a fairly standard and run-of-the-mill premise that is, by and large, employed to underwhelming, forgettable effect by Siega, as the filmmaker, armed with Brent Goldberg and David Wagner’s paint-by-numbers script, delivers a generic actioner that hits virtually every beat and touchstone one associates with stories of this ilk – with the ensuing arms-length atmosphere preventing the viewer from working up the slightest bit of interest in or enthusiasm for the narrative’s various happenings. There’s little doubt, as well, that Underclassman: Teen Cop‘s intensely familiar vibe is exacerbated by Cannon’s irritating, nails-on-a-chalkboard performance, as the actor offers up a wildly over-the-top turn that remains an ongoing distraction and, ultimately, cancels out the picture’s scant few positive attributes (including the eclectic supporting cast’s comparatively stellar efforts). By the time the dull, action-heavy climax rolls around, Underclassman: Teen Cop has undoubtedly cemented its place as a rather interminable misfire that might’ve been improved with a charismatic star in the lead role (but probably not).

*1/2 out of ****