The Other Guys
Here’s the thing about Will Ferrell and Adam McKay- even when I don’t really care for the films (“Anchorman,” “Step Brothers”), it’s obvious they make a great team. That makes the films they do succeed with (like this one and “Talladega Nights”) all the more special.
“The Other Guys” works the same way “Talladega Nights” and “Anchorman” kind of did- by taking a genre and bending it to its’ will. This is precisely why “Step Brothers” didn’t work for me- it was too crude for the genre it spawned from. Here, well, let’s just say you’ll never watch a film like “The French Connection” or “Lethal Weapon” the same way again. (And admittedly, it also makes me want to watch “Anchorman” again to see if I was missing something.)
Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are desk jockey cops Gamble and Hoitz, although they’re both on the sidelines for different reasons (Gamble’s a transfer from forensic accounting, Hoitz shot Derek Jeter). They basically are forced to sit around by their Captain (the peerless Michael Keaton, who between this and his turn as Ken in “Toy Story 3,” really has to be starring in movies again) while supercops Highsmith and Danson (Samuel L. Jackson and Dewayne Johnson) save the day (if not the taxpayers). But Gamble’s got a case he’s looking into with a Wall Street power broker (Steve Coogan) that could blow things wide open for them.
McKay (who co-wrote the script with Chris Henchy) have some crazy ideas in store here. There’s the absurd manner of the dialogue for one. The outrageous fates of Highsmith and Danson. The Captain’s offbeat obsession with quoting TLC songs. Gamble’s seeming magnetism with the ladies, and especially his unusual relationship with his wife (Eva Mendes). Everything about this movie is just a bit off from what we expect…this is not a bad thing.
But will everyone get on board? Not likely. Like “The Hangover,” “Tropic Thunder,” “Pineapple Express,” and other like-minded comedies, this is a very peculiar blend of humor and genre sensibilities that not everyone will get on board with. And like “Talladega Nights,” the film’s PG-13 rating isn’t a hindrance, but simply the way to go (see “Step Brothers” for why an R-rated Ferrell/McKay comedy doesn’t work). It’s just as outrageous without any of the gratuity of many similar comedies. Isn’t it funny how things work out?
For McKay, Ferrell, and Wahlberg (who finds this character’s offbeat path and runs with it), it’s funny indeed. Very funny.
