When New York City’s most destructive honored cops Danson and Highsmith (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Samuel L Jackson respectively) are out of action, the city must turn to the other guys (hence the film’s title). Meet officers Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg). Gamble is a buy the book career desk cop while Hoitz is his annoyed partner, essentially banished to this fate for shooting a local hero. The two try to step their game up to impress Captain Gene played by Michael Keaton and become the city’s new heroes.
I’m reminded of 2004’s Starky & Hutch and how the plot forcing the two cops together is a lame excuse to forge gags. I can’t make a logical sentence to explain what the bad guy was up to, and the audience isn’t expected to give two cents. They paid for classic Will Ferrell high jinks and that’s what they are going to get. Allan Gamble is a lot like Frank the Tank from Old School, minus the beer. Once he gets wound up, he’s like Frank after a keg stand.
Directed by Adam McKay (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), The Other Guys has a familiar composition, though to some degree less outlandish than its forbearer. Some characters are more realistic than others, but their situations and the rest of the world have distinct realism. People die. People also put up with verbal abuse from a spouse in the name of comedy. The most effective way these mildly surreal comedies can cope is to produce laughs, and in the case of The Other Guys there isn’t a steady supply but there are enough to make the journey worthwhile. Eva Mendes has a rare comedic turn as Ferrell’s plain Jane wife. On the other side of things, Mark Walhberg has little to do other than yell. An effort is made to give Hoitz a conflicted personality; he took up dancing as a kid so that he could better make fun of “girlie men”. The point of his character should be that he’s the normal one.
Austin Powers certainly paved the way for what can be included in a PG-13 comedy and The Other Guys doesn’t disappoint in serving up off-camera references that would make Horatio Caine flinch. It’s an acquired taste, but not every joke goes this low. My personal choice is a long-winded comeback from Gamble about animal eating habits. There’s also a competing cop team, Fosse (Damon Wayans Jr.) & Martin (Rob Riggle), who make for unique grade school visitors.
The unfortunate truth is that, and as I had suspected, the duo we want the movie to be about is Danson and Highsmith. These guys were splitting my sides. Maybe they couldn’t maintain the laughs for a whole movie, but their absence makes it obvious how much funnier the first half of the film is compared to the rest. Regardless, comedy isn’t easy and The Other Guys do an admirable job stepping up. **½
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