The Other Guys: Review

Sometimes I wonder if Will Ferrell isn't the embodiment of the funniest line in "The Other Guys". When learning that his partner, the angry and confused Mark Wahlberg, learned to dance at a young age to insult other kids ironically, Ferrell responds "You learned to dance, sarcastically?" What better way to describe a movie career of America's most ridiculous comedian.

"The Other Guys", a buddy-cop comedy from Director/writer Adam McKay and Co-Writer Chris Henchy, follows the exploits of the two lamest cops on the planet: nerdy accountant Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and overly macho Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg). When top cops Highsmith and Dansen (played by the seemly bored with their acting careers' Sam L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson respectively) commit ironic action-hero style suicide, it's up to Gamble and Hoitz to uncover a trail of financial embezzlement and back-room, boardroom dealings which mimics the recently reported events of AiG and Goldman-Sac's investment debacles.

If that last paragraph seemed both confusing and dull, that's because embezzlement crime (like internet crime) is both confusing and dull. The film picks one of the worst possible topics to turn into a spoof cop drama; finances. In an effort, I believe, to capitalize on the recent outrage by Middle America over lost pension funds and a growing and disparaging gap between the rich and the rest of us, "The Other Guys" plays out like a bad sitcom with B-list actors.

There WEREN'T any B-list actors in the movie, mind you, but you couldn't have been able to tell based on the performances. Will Ferrell continues his newest career path in playing the straight man in any comedy, and completely mutes his performance to give Wahlberg a chance to carry the films gravitas. This raises a perfectly legitimate question, however: How can Ferrell play the straight man of a comedy duo when Wahlberg is completely ineffectual as a comedian? Constantly angry, confused and over-compensating as macho the entire time, Wahlberg's only skill of aggravating the audience is perfectly displayed alongside his inability to actually act.

Having two underperforming actors on screen for an hour and a half is unfortunate to see when shorter screen time is given to the infinitely better comic relief presented: Rob Riggle and Damon Waynes Jr. as competing detectives, Michael Keaton as the station chief, and the always uber-British Steve Coogan as the villainous CEO David Ershon. I found the supporting cast to be more enjoyable, and at times heart-warming, than the two stars. It's almost enough of a balance to forgive the Ferrell and Wahlberg's failure to enthrall the audience. Almost.

The movie is not without merit, however. Both writers clearly show their strength as jokes land in almost every scene. It is no easy feat to take a boring, contrived plot about two would-be super cops trapped at their desks through misbegotten actions or a sad back-story of anxiety and pimping and turn it into a genuinely good idea. But that idea seems less potent on screen than it would have been read as a novel or short story. Perhaps the humor is too clever for physical comedy and should have been re-examined before production began. We won't ever know, however, as nothing could have stopped Hollywood from producing a severely lacking satire when there are plenty of other, more exciting options to have chosen. (I'm still waiting for Airheads 2: Electric Boogaloo)

Regardless, this movie did manage to keep my attention for the whole time. No scene seemed to stagger or grind to a screeching halt, nor was there any moment I can recall that I had to remind myself where the plot ran off to. The special effects and explosions were well done. This was, aside from the disappointment from the leading men, a rather well put together feature. It's just sad that it leaves me asking the ultimate question. "Will Ferrell: did you learn to act, sarcastically?"

I give "The Other Guys" 3 badges out of 5.