Review of The Other Guys (2010) by Kenneth L — 31 Dec 2012

On the Will Ferrell Scale of Hilariousness, this film would rank below Talladega Nights, Anchorman, and Elf, but well above Step Brothers and Semi-Pro. This is an enjoyable parody of the old buddy-cop movie, and it has some really brilliant moments. It just doesn't quite achieve the sheer straight-faced lunacy of Ferrell's best work.

The plot is mostly standard-issue: two cops (Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) hope to crack a big case that will make their careers. What makes the movie special are all the little tweaks it puts on the formula. For instance, there are the superstar action-hero cops who actually open the film (The Rock and Samuel L. Jackson) and seem like they're going to be the heroes until they make an abrupt and truly hilarious exit. Or the lieutenant (Michael Keaton) who works a second job at Bed, Bath, & Beyond and keeps unintentionally quoting TLC. The movie has lots of running gags that just keep getting funnier.

There's an old adage about comedy: A guy wearing a funny hat isn't funny. A guy wearing a funny hat who doesn't know he's wearing a funny hat is funny. Few people are better than Will Ferrell at not knowing they're wearing funny hats. His best roles are always played with utter sincerity; he plays his characters as if they expect to be taken seriously. Mark Wahlberg is also much funnier here than in any other movie I can think of him in. He achieves this by taking a cue from Ferrell and playing everything totally seriously. It's almost enough to keep you from noticing how absurd his character often is. Overall, the comedic chemistry between these two (which is much stronger than the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifiankis in the last movie I reviewed, Due Date) makes the movie work quite well. As mainstream comedies go, this one is definitely above average.