Doug Liman Blog: Busted By Bruce Willis and Mark and Robb Cullen At Cop Out Premiere Party

Share on Facebook posted 02-24-10 by Doug Liman

So, I was working late last night editing Fair Game and was finally heading home at around 10:30 when I got a text from a friend who was at the premiere of Cop Out. “If you haven’t had dinner yet, there’s good food here. And people you know.”

I ran into Adam Brody as soon as I walked into the party. We had done the OC together and going through that process with him was one of the more interesting experiences I have had in the business. The night of the OC premiere party, Adam and I found ourselves out at a 7-Eleven at two in the morning eating nachos. Adam had said to me: “I’m the star of a teen soap opera. Isn’t my life supposed to change? How come I’m still hanging out at a 7-Eleven?” Both of us sat there on the stoop of the 7-Eleven, totally perplexed, eating nachos.

The answer was that the show hadn’t actually been broadcast yet. Two weeks later, I couldn’t go anywhere with Adam without being chased by a horde of teenage girls — that’s how fast his life changed.

So last night, after hugging Adam, I asked if he was in the movie, explaining I knew nothing of the movie and was just there for dinner. He was one of the leads and at this point, I still have no idea what movie premiere I’m at. When I’m in production, it’s like I live in a cave.

Things were about to get worse.

Seconds later I discovered that Cop Out is actually my good friends Mark and Robb Cullen’s movie, Couple of Dicks. The name had been changed to Cop Out because ABC wouldn’t allow them to advertise a movie with that title (but somehow Meet The Fockers is okay).

Mark and Rob were genuinely excited to see me — we had a great time making the series Heist together — and Mark and Rob are the two funniest people I know. Their excitement was quickly replaced by shock when they discovered that I had skipped the movie, having no idea it was theirs, and had just come to the party for a free dinner. “What an asshole.”

Mark was hanging out with Bruce Willis, and neither Bruce nor I could remember if we had actually met before. But Bruce and I immediately hit it off. Mark told Bruce I had passed on directing their movie because I thought the script needed six months more work; and that I was only at the party for a free dinner. I explained that the real reason I passed was that I was making Fair Game. To which Bruce and Mark gave me no amount of shit – “You made a political movie??? What, have you been enjoying too much box office success?”

They’re not wrong. I know the odds that are against me. If Fair Game succeeds at the box office, it will be the first political film in a while to make a profit. I mean, Hurt Locker has won every award known to man, has awesome action, great muscular leads, and has made two cents at the box office. But Fair Game is a lot more fun than that movie, and I remain optimistic that we will be the rule breaker. Bruce just gave me a sympathetic nod, “uh huh.”

They should be happy. Now they’ll get my eleven dollars at the box office.