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The Other Guys Are The Right Guys

August 6th, 2010

Film: The Other Guys
Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson

In a summer lacking in laughs it’s weird to think that it would take Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell, oddly pairing up, to deliver us one of the best comedies of 2010.

They have nothing in common. One’s a straight-shooter and the other’s just a goofy guy. But together in The Other Guys, this experiment of opposites-turned-out right, Ferrell and Wahlberg give us the first gut-buster since 2009′s The Hangover and re-ignite the bro-cop comedy genre.

Ferrell and Wahlberg play two NYPD cops, Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz, who are sick and tired of being paper-work losers. Gamble is a bozo and a passive office accountant who refuses to resort to violence and Wahlberg is just eager as hell to dodge some bullets in action. But when the positions of real gun-slinging cops becomes available it leaves an opening of opportunity for Gamble and Hoitz to prove their worthy. Their opportunity doesn’t go as planned.

The real genius behind the laugh-out-loud script comes from the production and direction of Adam McKay (Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, Anchor Man). His influence presents many bright points on the overall product and created tons of priceless scenes between Wahlberg and Ferrell.

And to be honest, who knew that Wahlberg could do comedy? But it worked very well. Wahlberg, who’s known for high-intense flicks like The Departed, Shooter, and also creating HBO’s Entourage, found a way to use that explosive tone of his to hit the right cues and make some pretty funny monologue takes between him and co-star Ferrell.

While Wahlberg loses his temper and yells profound slurs, Ferrell, who’s worked with McKay’s vibe a few times already, causes hernia-inducing laughter with his witty rebuttals. The Other Guys is packed full of quotes that will be recited for years to come between buddies recounting some golden frat-pack comedy scenes.

If it weren’t for the over-excessive action, Law & Order-feeling, and a few complicated drawn out segments in the plot, this movie would be almost perfect. But even when I felt a bit eager to fast forward to the next scene of the flick because of the confusion the next joke would hit me I was left in stitches. Basically, when you’re hit with the comedy scenes, you’re K.O’d. And getting knocked out never felt so great.

Add in Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as hilarious cliche’d alpha-male cops in the beginning of the film, and also a smoking hot Eva Mendes, who plays Ferrell’s wife, and you have a riot of a night ahead.

Verdict: Worth the money. You’re almost guaranteed to laugh.

Best Moment: So many hilarious scenes and quotes, but being a journalist one scene stood out from the rest. The scene is a press conference in the beginning of the film where the two head cops (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson) are being interviewed after a big case-crack. A male reporter says; “Hey, I’m from the New York Observer….Online.” After him a woman stares him down and says; “Hi, I’m from TMZ…Print Edition.” I couldn’t stop laughing.

Rating: 4/5

Tags: Anchorman, Dwayne Johnson, entourage, eva mendes, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Shooter, Step Brothers, The Departed, the hangover, The Other Guys, Will Ferrell