To say that The Other Guys is the funniest movie I have seen this summer so far would not be an overstatement. The fact is that for at least the first 30-40 minutes, the film delivers quite a bit of funny. There are more laughs in the first half hour of The Other Guys than in the 2 hour running time of Dinner for Schmucks, which came out last week.
A couple of years ago Director Adam McKay surprised the hell out of me with the movie Stepbrothers. A film that looked so idiotic from the trailers that I was sure it was going to be utter garbage. Now I look at Stepbrothers as a comedy classic and I have watched it countless times on blu-ray and cable. McKay is back with his Talladega Nights & Stepbrothers star Will Ferrell who this time around is partnered with Mark Wahlberg .
Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) are partners in the NYPD who could not be more different. While Allen is happy working at his desk all day filling out paper work, Hoitz just wants to get himself out on the street and prove himself to be a hero cop. Hoitz not only wants to get out from under the shadow of 2 high profile cops (played with great fun by Dwayne Johnson & Samuel L. Jackson) that are beloved by New York, but he wants to live down his notorious reputation for accidently shooting one of NYC’s most notable figures.
Some of the best moments from The Other Guys is skillfully delivered by Ferrell & Wahlberg. I absolutely loved the bantering between the two leads, especially when Hoitz cannot stand Gamble. The problem is, the more they start to like each other, the less I found myself laughing. I wish they let the characters dislike each other for the whole movie. I am sure there are plenty of cops out there that do not like their partners in real life.
Another problem I had with the film is the action. The chase scenes take place in the streets of New York are so poorly shot. There are way too many close ups on the action that you really cannot see what’s going on. McKay knows how to film people but he is clearly not a man for action (at least not yet).
I feel the movie wastes that talents of Michael Keaton who plays the police captain with a part time job at Bed, Bath, & Beyond (which was a nice little touch) I love Keaton and he is fine here but they could have given him a little more to do. Steve Coogan is another great comedic talent that is wasted. If you have ever seen Hamlet 2, you know what I am talking about. Coogan is not given a single moment in the film to shine and that is a real shame.
I am on the fence when it comes to The Other Guys. It is a very uneven film with all the best parts in the first half, but having said that. There are enough funny moments in that first half to actually recommend the movie. So if you want to go out, and have a few laughs, you could do much worse than spending a couple hours with The Other Guys.
By: Marc Ferman
