Quite a bit, actually... I found myself laughing out loud numerous times at the new comedy starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Sure, the film, directed by Adam McKay from a script he co-wrote with Chris Henchy, has a tendency to go over the top. It often lapses into silliness and there are several setups that McKay never gets around to paying off. The film also throws so many jokes at the wall, it’s no surprise that not all stick.
But, if you’re itching for a funny summer escape, The Other Guys will certainly fit the bill.
Here’s why...
The title and the premise - Just the idea that Ferrell and Wahlberg are the forgotten guys of the detective squad who get overlooked while others steal the spotlight is a poke at every buddy cop movie ever made -- and a Pandora’s box for comic possibilities.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson - This duo scores big laughs as “the guys” -- the heroes of the police force whose antics score medals and make headlines. J & J play their characters with such bluster and bravado, you can’t help but laugh. And their story arc gave me my first lol moment of the film.
The reason Wahlberg’s character is partnered with Ferrell’s - After committing an act that is sacrilegious to any true blue New Yorker, Wahlberg’s character Terry Hoitz is exiled to a desk job. It’s a great gag that keeps on giving throughout the film.
Mark Wahlberg - Ferrell is the comedian, so you expect him to be funny. And as buttoned-down forensic account Detective Allen Gamble, he doesn’t disappoint. But, in my opinion, Wahlberg gets the biggest laughs in the movie as the hot-headed Hoitz. His reactions to Ferrell’s reserved goody two-shoes Gamble are hilarious. Then there are the his backstory bits -- the reason he knows how to dance and play the harp, the pleasure he takes in directing traffic, his peacock speech -- they all are very funny.
Gamble’s effect on hot women - Let’s just say it’s unexpected, drives Hoitz crazy, and pays off big when the case forces the detectives to visit Gamble’s old girlfriend. It also gives Brooke Shields an opportunity for a killer cameo.
The visit to the Irish bar - Ferrell sings sad ballads! ‘Nuff said!
Michael Keaton’s running gag - As division captain Gene Mauch (a gag name idea that just doesn’t work and probably was funnier on paper), Keaton gets few moments to shine. But the one bit that does work revolves around an ongoing reference to TLC song lyrics.
Eva Mendes as Ferrell’s wife - The Gambles make the most unlikely couple in screen history. And that’s why the idea works -- even more so because it is introduced through the eyes of Hoitz. Incredulous has never been funnier.
