Vinnie-isms: The Story of the Cop Comedian

Don’t begrudge a biographical documentary for focusing on good people and the good they do in the community. Uplifting stories matter just as much as the dark, complicated ones. In Vinnie-isms: The Story of the Cop Comedian, director Jason Harney shows how a local cop-turned-comedian changes the lives of his community and audiences just by being himself. The film follows Vinnie Montez, a Boulder County Sheriff’s officer who grew up in a “non-traditional” four-person Mexican American family.

As a kid, Montez was overweight and often bullied by kids at school. Unbeknownst to him, his fiercely protective mother was literally lurking in the shadows to chastise these kids in the schoolyard. This is where she earned the moniker “Mexican Wolverine.” His father’s battle and eventual death from cancer taught Montez how to listen, empathize, and walk the straight and narrow. From his parents, he learned integrity and accountability, even as youthful mistakes threatened to take that dream away until he took responsibility.

“…follows Vinnie Montez, a Boulder County Sheriff’s officer who grew up in a ‘non-traditional’ four-person Mexican American family.”

Vinnie-isms: The Story of the Cop Comedian explores Montez’s life in law enforcement alongside his partner, Rick, showing how he carried the weight of being “Vinnie the Cop” both physically and emotionally, even when he tried to keep a joyful face for the people around him. Over time, the strain of being a cop became harder to hide. What saved Montez was therapy, which eventually led to stand-up comedy as a way to deal with the trauma. It started at open mics, then 2-minute sets in small clubs, with the man mining his life on the job, his Mexican American heritage, and the chaos that seems to follow him on and off the job. All these tales earned Montez the title of “s**t magnet.”

The documentary tracks Montez’s burgeoning stand-up career as he moves onto bigger stages, including a run in Las Vegas, and his dream of one day landing a Netflix special. Today, he weighs which direction to take — whether to leave his law enforcement career behind and pursue a life as a professional comedian. As a cop, his heart is still with his community.This is evident in that Rick and he have founded charitable efforts. But Montex’s stand-up also gives him an outlet as a motivational speaker.

Vinnie-isms: The Story of the Cop Comedian is straightforward as a documentary. It’s a pretty no-frills production, featuring interviews from Vinnie Montez and his closest family, friends, and colleagues. They all tell heartwarming stories about Montez, while his cop friends and comedians never miss opportunities to bust his balls. The soundtrack is pretty basic, but the stories about Montez are funny, hopeful, and serious when needed. Harney does exactly what he needs to do with the film: introduce the world to the funniest cop in America and let the man and his story do the rest.