It seems like a Will Ferrell has become a summer staple, the way an Adam Sandler movie is. We can be guaranteed a movie from this guy to infest our summer movie season and normally I skip them. I have no need for Will Ferrell in a starring role in a movie and I certainly have no need for a Ferrell movie directed by Adam McKay. This pairing just does not work for me. Yet there were things in the trailer that appealed to me. First off, Mark Wahlberg doing a comic version of his persona is always funny. People say this is his first real comedy attempt, but I promise, his role as himself on Entourage is always hilarious. Next, you have The Rock and Sam Jackson playing very arrogant versions of their perceived personas. Next, the movie had the look of a throwback buddy cop action movie. It almost felt like The Beastie Boys video for "Sabotage" in a way. With all of those in the plus column I decided to waive my policy on seeing Will Ferrell movies. Was I fooled or would I be rewarded?
When New York city needs heroes who will take up the call? With a void in in the NYPD which team of cops will step up and fill the void left by the hero cops? That is the basic question asked by our narrator(Ice-T, yes Ice-T). After a shooting gone horribly wrong, Detective Terry Hoitz(Wahlberg) has been assigned to be partners with a paper pusher, Allen Gamble(Ferrell) and it is stifling his mojo. Hoitz was a detective on the rise and now he is stuck to a desk. He is looking for a way out and he will get it even if it means kidnapping his partner. Looking for any reason to do cop work, Hoitz humors Gamble on a quest to arrest David Ershon(Steve Coogan)for not having the right building permits. Ershon is a big shot finance guy but he has people after him and soon Hoitz and Gamble find themselves being shot at, beaten up and having buildings around them blown up. Hoitz is excited by this, but Gamble wants to play things safe. In college Gamble got out of hand as a pimp and now he tries to quell the demons inside of him. But New York needs to put a stop to a Ponzi scheme and needs people who are not afraid to stand up to evil forces that lurk around the shadows of the city.
Every so often The Other Guys veers into Will Ferrell insanity and it is in those moments where the movie fails, but otherwise, it is actually a pretty solid film. Wahlberg is excellent as the tightly wound, overly frustrated Terry Hoitz. His whiny, angry performance is the perfect balance to Ferrell's ridiculous antics. Wahlberg's reactions to Eva Mendes being Ferrell's wife are picture perfect, the ballet he does is wonderful and every time his voices gets to that high pitched whine, I could not help but laugh. There is no doubt Wahlberg can handle the action scenes in the movie, but he pulls off the comedy flawlessly. Ferrell has good chemistry with Wahlberg and there are times I found him to be quite funny, especially in the first 30 minutes or so when he is remaining calm to Wahlberg's threats. However, as the movie went on, Ferrell got more and more Ferrell and the movie indulges him too much. The back story of him being a pimp in college is totally distracting and obnoxious. The jokes between he and Eva Mendes just do not work, and it is not the fault of the delivery, it is just a horrible bit.
Having Ice-T narrate the movie is brilliant and The Rock and Sam Jackson, in what amount to glorified cameos, are wonderful and the way they exit the movie is totally ridiculous, hilarious and unexpected. Kudos to the two men for being willing to take these parts. It elevates the first 15 minutes greatly. Rob Riggle and Damon Wayans Jr. have supporting roles and Riggle is his usual half funny/half terrible self and Wayans Jr. lands enough of his jokes to think he could succeed in Hollywood, but probably on television. Michael Keaton continues his good year with a hilarious supporting turn as the captain of the precinct who has a part time job at Bed, Bath and Beyond. His constant unintentional references to TLC songs make for a great running bit, even though the movie squanders the opportunity to play "Waterfalls" at a better time than they actually do. Steve Coogan is an actor who plenty like, but I have yet to fully see his appeal. He does smarmy and weaselly pretty well in this movie, though. SO he does his job.
On the other side of this movie is the action and the commentary on the action. Ferrell's Gamble leads the duo through a few car chases and comments that he learned to drive that way via Grand Theft Auto. It is an old joke, but it actually lands pretty well because of the kind of chase that was choreographed. Also, the reactions from both cops when a building explodes near them is even funnier in the movie than it is in the trailer and it does offer a nice commentary about how ridiculous it is when characters in movies walk away unscathed from explosions. I absolutely loved the gun fights, the Heat like one in the street and the awesome slow motion one that we see glimpses of in the trailer. Wahlberg's presence really helps sell the action and the movie needs to have the action look good because the entire look of the movie is a throwback.
The Other Guys hits a lot more than it misses and I really did have a nostalgic sense throughout the entire movie. The way the film is almost washed out to look retro helps and the music has a very throwback feel most of the time and that really helps sell the film for me. Ice-T's narration also gives the movie the sense of an exploitation film that felt very organic. I hated the Will Ferrellness of chunks, but when he is reeled in, I enjoyed his buttoned up performance and I hope Wahlberg continues to explore this comic side of his tough guy persona. In a summer with pretty weak comedies, The Other Guys scores as a wonderful comic action piece and a total surprise for me.
Final Grade: B
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