Movie Info
Movie Name: The Other Guys
Studio: Columbia Pictures/Gary Sanchez Productions/Mosaic
Genre(s): Comedy/Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): August 2, 2010 (Premiere)/August 6, 2020 (US)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Heroes 4 Ever
Detective P.K. Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Detective Christopher Danson (Dwayne Johnson) are the heroes of the police department and the public…and Detective Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Detective Terry Holtz (Mark Walhberg) are the other guys. When tragedy strikes, there is a power vacuum, and Holtz sees it as his chance to be a super cop, but Gamble just likes his normal desk job. An investigation into the business dealings of Sir David Ershon (Steve Coogan) leads to mayhem and destruction…and the “other guys” might finally get their chance at fame.
Written and directed by Adam McKay (with additional scripting by Chris Henchy), The Other Guys is an action cop buddy movie. The film was released to mostly positive reviews and has received a following since its release.
I saw a lot of McKay’s stuff after it was released (rarely in the theater), but I always missed The Other Guys despite it being recommended. I finally sat down with The Other Guys and found it a thoroughly entertaining (though still rather predictable) buddy comedy.
Kind of like Tombstone
Like a lot of McKay’s stuff (and Will Ferrell for that matter), it is a parody on stereotypes. While the uber-cops Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson live like the characters of Lethal Weapon, they cause far more damage than the crimes they stop. The flipside is the people stuck doing the menial work of being an officer. Wahlberg’s character should technically be a “bad ass” cop but that too is subverted by his actions. The mystery and story tied to all the clever jokes and writing is rather bland and expected, but the peppiness of the script keeps it going.
Ferrell is Will Ferrell with his typical sometimes deprecating performance which turns to loud boisterous on the flip of a switch. Wahlberg is a parody of himself. I’m not a huge Walhberg fan, but in things like this where he is what feels like closest to himself, it works. I like Johnson and Jackson as the short lived Danson and Highsmith, and Rob Riggle and Damon Wayans Jr. are good jerk fill-ins. Michael Keaton shows his range again (and his love-no love of TLC). I also like the recurring joke of hot girls liking Ferrell including his wife played by Eva Mendes. Steve Coogan is also a bit of an acquired taste that I have never gotten. The movie also features appearances and work by Ray Stevenson, Bobby Cannavale, Zach Woods, Anne Heche, Horatio Sanz, Rosie Perez, Brook Shields, Ice-T, and Derik Jeter. McKay also appears as Dirty Mike.
Who has the upper hand now?!?!
The movie does a lot of visuals jokes, and McKay is good at getting laughs from the visuals in addition to the dialogue delivery. Everything from Danson and Highsmith’s heroic (but misguided) jump to the fights are a lot of fun, and though it doesn’t add anything new to genre, it is well done.
The Other Guys isn’t my favorite McKay comedy (that still belongs to Step Brothers), but it is a solid entry in his comedy series. McKay made the transition to more “Academy Award” quality movies in 2015 with The Big Short, but I kind of wish he’d just stick to these more mundane, but smart comedies…and mixing a little more commentary in with them would be ok as well.
