The Other Guys (C or 2/4 stars)
2 mismatched NYC detectives get the opportunity to be like the city's top cops whom they idolize in 'The Other Guys', directed by Adam McKay. At the beginning of the film, the big heroes are NYPD daredevils P.K. Highsmith & Chris Danson (Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson). They are famous, beloved, big, bad, strong, tough, profane motherfu*kers ... to put it lightly {haha}. In essence, the 1st 10 min. or so of the movie is straight parody of masculine cop movies of old. Having just nailed a minor drug bust (yet cost the city $millions), they think they've conquered the world. And being nothing but dumb brutes (who think they're invulnerable to injury or death) ... what do you think happens? A deadly accident occurs, & 'The Other Guys' - forensic accountant Allen Gamble & his angsty partner, Terry Hoitz (Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg) - think they can better their position in the department.
At first, Allen has little desire to go into the 'field', but Terry (who's been in anger management class for accidentally shooting Derek Jeter) is eager to get back on the streets. In almost no time, Allen & Terry become embroiled in a huge fraud case. But the man at the center of their investigation, David Ershon (Steve Coogan), is so popular & well-connected that their own captain, Gene Mauch (Michael Keaton), tries to downplay the whole thing - as if to say, David is innocent. Meanwhile, the duo starts to bond; although (in a funny running motif) Terry just can't believe that the dorky Allen is actually married to hottie, Dr. Sheila Gamble (Eva Mendes). Can Allen & Terry right their path, stay alive, & become NY's finest heroes? Will they ever get proper recognition? And most importantly (for us viewers), who cares? As long as there's action every 10 min., & as long as the hit & miss humor is plentiful, does it matter if the story is incredibly stupid?
Well, my answer is yes. It does matter. And the fact that the story is stupid, that the humor dissipates during the film, & that the pacing goes off near the end really put a damper on proceedings; proceedings that I was enjoying during the first hour. Don't get me wrong. This movie is what Cop Out hoped to be. I appreciate the whole 'peons emerging from the shadows to become heroes' angle. I enjoyed the 1st uproarious 15-20 min. or so. Sam Jackson & The Rock are a trip. But you get the feeling that after their characters leave the picture, even they realize they left when the going was good. The plot becomes mired in unintelligible details, & run-of-the-mill action sequences start to override the early humor. My pattern of enjoyment went something like this: funny start, chuckled at something every 10 min. or so, but everything in-between was pretty painful; and the chuckles ended far before the finale.
Whenever it's funny ... it's FUNNY (Allen's red Prius car, lots of witty pop cultural references). When it's not (Terry's ballet dancing, or Sheila's mom acting as sex conduit), it's cringe-worthy. Still, the performances are fine. I love crazy, off-the-wall Will Ferrell. Mark Wahlberg holds his own as the straight-&-narrow Terry; transitioning his hard-ass persona into good comedic effect. And it's nice to see Michael Keaton back in a high-profile film. His emasculated performance gave me many smiles. You see, 'The Other Guys' provides stupid fun ... it's just not 'good' stupid fun. It's an initially hysterical, then straightforward crime/action flick that gets more & more incoherent as it goes. With half an hour left, all I could think about was what I would be doing after I left the theater.
At first, Allen has little desire to go into the 'field', but Terry (who's been in anger management class for accidentally shooting Derek Jeter) is eager to get back on the streets. In almost no time, Allen & Terry become embroiled in a huge fraud case. But the man at the center of their investigation, David Ershon (Steve Coogan), is so popular & well-connected that their own captain, Gene Mauch (Michael Keaton), tries to downplay the whole thing - as if to say, David is innocent. Meanwhile, the duo starts to bond; although (in a funny running motif) Terry just can't believe that the dorky Allen is actually married to hottie, Dr. Sheila Gamble (Eva Mendes). Can Allen & Terry right their path, stay alive, & become NY's finest heroes? Will they ever get proper recognition? And most importantly (for us viewers), who cares? As long as there's action every 10 min., & as long as the hit & miss humor is plentiful, does it matter if the story is incredibly stupid?
Well, my answer is yes. It does matter. And the fact that the story is stupid, that the humor dissipates during the film, & that the pacing goes off near the end really put a damper on proceedings; proceedings that I was enjoying during the first hour. Don't get me wrong. This movie is what Cop Out hoped to be. I appreciate the whole 'peons emerging from the shadows to become heroes' angle. I enjoyed the 1st uproarious 15-20 min. or so. Sam Jackson & The Rock are a trip. But you get the feeling that after their characters leave the picture, even they realize they left when the going was good. The plot becomes mired in unintelligible details, & run-of-the-mill action sequences start to override the early humor. My pattern of enjoyment went something like this: funny start, chuckled at something every 10 min. or so, but everything in-between was pretty painful; and the chuckles ended far before the finale.
Whenever it's funny ... it's FUNNY (Allen's red Prius car, lots of witty pop cultural references). When it's not (Terry's ballet dancing, or Sheila's mom acting as sex conduit), it's cringe-worthy. Still, the performances are fine. I love crazy, off-the-wall Will Ferrell. Mark Wahlberg holds his own as the straight-&-narrow Terry; transitioning his hard-ass persona into good comedic effect. And it's nice to see Michael Keaton back in a high-profile film. His emasculated performance gave me many smiles. You see, 'The Other Guys' provides stupid fun ... it's just not 'good' stupid fun. It's an initially hysterical, then straightforward crime/action flick that gets more & more incoherent as it goes. With half an hour left, all I could think about was what I would be doing after I left the theater.