“The Other Guys,” directed by Adam McKay, could have been added to the list of forgettable buddy-cop movies, yet this Will Ferrell comedy has enough nuances to avoid the standard clichés.
McKay, who’s directed Ferrell in four movies, including “Other Guys” and worked with him back in his days at Saturday Night Live, probably knows what makes Ferrell laugh better than any other director. The two have worked together on “Anchorman,” “Talladega Nights,” “Step Brothers” and now “The Other Guys.”
In their most recent collaboration, Ferrell’s character, Allen Gamble, starts out as an eccentric, nerdy police auditor, and with the combination of clever screenwriting and Ferrell’s talent for improvisation, the character is surprisingly confident, cocky and ultimately hilarious.
A running gag throughout the film, involving Gamble’s wife (Eva Mendes) and his partner, Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) never gets old and adds to the dimension and comedic timing of Ferrell’s character and his interaction with his partner.
And Wahlberg, playing a subtle parody of his character in “The Departed” is surprisingly funny. Wahlberg’s character, Hoitz, is the polar opposite of Gamble; he craves his gun and a crime to solve. But he’s temporarily assigned to Gamble because he accidently shot Derek Jeter.
So, for the meantime, Hoitz is stuck at a desk with Gamble. He’s not on the streets, he’s not working cases - he is - along with Gamble, one of the “other guys.”
Unlike the rest of the desk-jockeys, NYPD Detectives Christopher Danson and P.K. Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) are the true super cops of New York City. The two open the film with an over the top but comical chase sequence. When one of their cases leads to their absurdly funny death, Gamble and Hoitz stumble upon a case nobody wants.
This leads Gamble and Hoitz on a trail towards Wall Street and some upset investors. Gamble, in true accountant style, targets Wall Street tycoon David Ershon, played by Steve Coogan, for not obtaining proper permits. When Ershon is abducted, Gamble and Hoitz uncover corruption at all levels of Wall Street.
Despite the familiar plot, the clever dialogue and acting separate “The Other Guys” from the rest of the mediocrity floating out of the Hollywood system.
And, as a comic actor, Ferrell is as good as a Bill Murray or Steve Martin in their best roles. In a memorable scene, Ferrell’s character is walking towards a storefront when a bomb blows out the entire store – he doesn’t dive from the store heroically – instead he lies on the ground, shouting, “I need an MRI! There’s no way I don’t have soft-tissue damage right now!”
Michael Keaton also flexes his comic shops as Captain Gene Mauch. Captain Mauch has a habit of quoting TLC song lyrics, and when called out, Mauch claims ignorance as to who TLC even is. This is another running gag that works throughout the film.
It’s hard to tell what can be attributed to witty writing (with a script by McKay and Chris Henchy) or great improvisation, but the credit probably lies somewhere in between the two.
“The Other Guys” certainly doesn’t break new ground, and it’s not going to blow your mind, but if you’re looking for a good, entertaining comedy, then these “other guys” might be worth spending some time with.
DIRECTOR: Adam McKay SCREENWRITERS: Adam McKay, Chris Henchy PRODUCERS: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy CAST: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Rob Riggle MPAA RATING: PG-13
