The Other Guys
Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan,
Director: Adam McKay
Released: August 6, 2010 (US)
After his last flop, 'Land of the Lost', the unwritten rules of Hollywood dictated that Will Ferrell was in dire need of a hit. And, personally, I think he's succeeded.
In the tough streets of New York, detectives like Danson (Dwayne Johnson) and Highsmith (Samuel L Jackson) are too cool for school - getting all the action, praise and girls. But after these slick cops jump off a 20-story building out of pride (or stupidity) while pursuing bank robbers and hit the hard pavement below, their job falls upon the other guys - the pencil-pushig, desk-jockeys like Gamble and Hoitz.
Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) is actually a skilled detective who unfortunately shot Derek Jeter during the World Series and is now stuck at a desk with mild-mannered Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell), a forensic accountant with a badge who'd rather do paperwork than fight crime and is gullible enough to fire his weapon in the office ("desk pop"), leaving him stuck with a wooden training gun as punishment. After hot-shots Danson and Highsmith die, Hoitz decides he and Gamble can fill their place. After trying to arrest billionaire David Ershon (an hillarious Steve Coogan) for scaffolding-violations, Gamble accidently uncovers a massive plot to cover Ershon's losses. As the plot thickens and the "other guys" face increasing resistance from inside the department, Hoitz learns there's a lot more to the seemingly bland Gamble than meets the eye - like an incredible ability to get very hot women like his wife, Sheila (Eva Mendes).
"The Other Guys" is a hillarious addition to the buddy-cop genre, but it also salutes the ordinary cop - far from the gun-toting, trigger-happy Danson and Highsmith, the real heroes are not only the title characters, but cops like Captain Gene Mauch (Michael Keaton), who also works at Bed, Bath and Beyond to make ends meet.
Like in a lot of Ferrell movies, the improv runs wild at times, such as with the amusing lion vs tuna debate between Gamble and Hoitz, but it works. And then there's all the other small comedy gems which make this movie so funny - the party of homeless men who take a shine to having sex in Gamble's car, Hoitz's incredible dance moves which he learned at high school just to make fun of the gay kids, and many more.
The plot slows down from time to time, especially when trying to explain Ershon's plan to make up for his $32billion losses, but there are very few moments in this movie where you won't be laughing. "The Other Guys" is a hillarious and original buddy-cop comedy, and quite possibly steals the show as the hottest comedy of the summer, if not the year.
Cinema Sweet Rating: 7/10
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