During his film career, Will Ferrell has poked fun at television anchors, NASCAR drivers, paleontologists, and male figure skaters. Now, thanks to The Other Guys, it’s the NYPD’s turn. I’m happy to report that the resulting comedy from frequent Ferrell collaborator Adam McKay (Step Brothers, Anchorman, Talladega Nights) manages to elicit laughs just as loud as any siren magnetically stuck to the top of an unmarked police car.
Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Danson (Dwayne Johnson) are the top cops in New York City. They’ve got that 80’s action movie vibe, and nobody seems to care that they rack up millions in property damage to stop simple misdemeanors. That all comes to an end, however, when they inexplicably leap to their deaths while pursuing a gang of thieves (an event that mystifies even the narrator). This leaves a vacancy in the hero department, one that Detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) hopes to fill.
Terry drags around the moniker of “The Yankee Clipper,” earned by mistakenly shooting Derek Jeter in the leg and costing the city a World Series win. While he chafes at the scorn displayed by his fellow officers, he spends most of his time pacing like a caged beast, waiting for his chance to once again be released into the wild. His partner, Det. Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell), is more interested in getting some paperwork done. That is, when he’s not being tricked into discharging his weapon in the workplace (fictitiously known as an “office pop”) or listening to the mellow strains of the Little River Band.
As you might have guessed, fate will soon drag these two cops into a whole mess of trouble involving a corrupt British businessman (Steve Coogan), an Australian mercenary (Ray Stevenson), an assortment of international killers, and a surprisingly hot Anne Heche. And like any good cop movie, the mismatched partners will slowly find themselves reaching an understanding. Ain’t formula grand?
Like most Ferrell films, the laughs come from an unusual blend of physical humor and downright bizarre dialogue. These aren’t your average sitcom jokes, folks. In under two hours, the film carefully examines the potential outcome of a vendetta between lions and salmon, discusses the after-effects of homeless people having an orgy in a Prius (referred to as a “soup kitchen”), and looks back at Det. Gamble’s dark days as a pimp named “Gator.”
Ferrell plays the part of Gamble with more control than many of his previous roles, only occasionally letting the inner madman peek out from behind his dull, nice guy exterior. Most of the emotion and cop posturing is left to Wahlberg as Hoitz, a self-described peacock who just wants to fly. He pulls it off with little effort, even introducing a few nimble ballet moves in the process.
The likable supporting cast includes a number of side-splitting turns from familiar faces. Eva Mendes is Gamble’s sexy wife, who he refers to as “the ‘ol ball and chain,” and Steve Coogan is the slimy Brit who bribes by reflex. But the highlight has to be Michael Keaton as Captain Mauch, a cop working a second job at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in order to allow his son to attend NYU and explore his bisexuality. Mauch is also prone to end his sentences with lyrics from TLC songs. While the majority of the rural Texas audience I saw the film with were mystified by who TLC were (sorry, Chilli), this only made the experience twice as amusing.
And let’s not forget about Johnson and Jackson as the larger-than-life Danson and Highsmith. Flashing their ultra-white smiles and plenty of blue steel, they careen through the city wreaking havoc and becoming legends in the process. Jackson looks as though he pulled his Shaft wardrobe out of the closet for this one, while Johnson seems more at home than in his previous kiddie-oriented films. Their exit comes all too soon, and I couldn’t help leaving the theater wishing for a prequel focusing on these two 1980’s buddy cop stereotypes.
If you’ve ever seen a Will Ferrell movie, you’ve got an idea of what to expect. In this case, however, throw in an extra helping of explosions and gunplay, as well as the deadpan charm of Mark Wahlberg. The next time you’re looking for a 2010 cinematic police officer to keep you entertained, pass right by the offices of Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson), Jimmy Monroe (Bruce Willis), and Paul Hodges (Tracy Morgan). Down at the end of the hall you’ll find The Other Guys; they may well be the most entertaining cops to come along all year.
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