(Long Island, N.Y.) In March of this year I reviewed the latest Kevin Smith bomb, a police comedy (using that word loosely) called Cop Out. That film is a perfectly wonderful example of how NOT to make a parody of cop buddy flicks. Actually, it’s a perfectly wonderful example of how not to make ANY movie in ANY genre, but that’s not really the topic at hand. Let’s just say it was bad and move on.
The Other Guys, yet another cop buddy parody, is actually the movie Cop Out should have been. In other words, it’s (usually, but not always) smart, clever, and above all else, funny. No, it’s not original – as I covered in my Cop Out review, this concept has been done to death – but within the confines of its plot and execution, it’s as solid an entry into the crowded action-comedy market as we’ve seen in quite some time.
Things haven’t been going well for Detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) ever since accidentally blasting Derek Jeter during the 2003 World Series. Most notably, he’s been stuck with Detective Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell), an annoying and straight-laced accountant, as his partner ever since. The two oddballs are constantly ostracized by their idols, the two “supercops” of his division: Danson (Dwayne Johnson) and Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson). But after a freak accident removes them from the picture, Hoitz and Gamble are given the chance to prove themselves by taking over Danson and Highsmith’s high-profile back robbery case. Of course, they fail miserably, but if they actually stepped up to the challenge and actually proved themselves to be competent in any way, we’d have ourselves an entirely different movie, wouldn’t we?
The Other Guys is a fun little movie. Will Ferrell plays…well, Will Ferrell. I mean, why does he ever play anything but a child-like goof prone to outbursts of insanity and violence? Hey, stick with your strengths, I say. Mark Wahlberg, however, is a newcomer to comedy (well, unless you count his performance in 2008’s laugh-fest The Happening), and there’s a legit novelty involved in watching him act silly instead of all hard-edged and serious. But when’s all said and done, he’s actually pretty good at being funny. And when combined, Ferrell and Wahlberg make a rather amusing duo; greater than the combined might of Cop Out’s Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, but falling shy of the almighty pairing of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon, the measuring stick for all buddy cop movies until the end of time.
Michael Keaton (as Ferrell and Wahlberg’s long-suffering Chief) and Eva Mendes (as Ferrell’s in-explicitly hot wife) show up as well, as does one of my favorites, Ray Stevenson. Oh, and Sam Jackson and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson make the most of their surprisingly brief roles before their characters depart the picture. So yes, there’s a good supporting cast at work here, rest assured.
Of course, actors are only as funny as their script allows them to be. Luckily, director and co-writer Adam McKay has proved to be successful in his collaborations with Will Ferrell in the past, with the duo producing hits together such as Anchorman (2004), Talladega Nights (2006), and Step Brothers (2008). All three of the aforementioned movies were solid, if flawed, and The Other Guys falls right into line with that sensibility. It’s got laughs, it’s got action, but it doesn’t quite have consistency, with patches spread throughout where nothing blows up or makes you laugh. But rest assured- eventually the movie always comes out of its rut and you’ll find yourself laughing once more.
So, Ferrell and Wahlberg have made a fairly good movie together, and you should seriously consider seeing it…especially if you’re among the unfortunate seven people who saw Cop Out when it was in theaters and need something to help kill the still-lingering pain you’re suffering under.
