It’s very apparent that the summer of 2010 will not be remembered for it’s stellar lineup and blockbuster films. With the exception of Christopher Nolan’s Inception, there really hasn’t been anything to take notice of. So with high hopes, and the reviews i have read so far I set out to see what has been billed as one of the better movies of the summer. Mark Walberg, Will Ferrell star in the cop comedy The Other Guys.
The last time director Adam Mckay and Ferrell worked together was on the 2008 oddball comedy Step Brothers. While this film was really met with mixed reaction, i suppose i could admit to having a chuckle or two at the chemistry between John C Riley and Will Ferrell. I guess for me it was tough to imagine Mark Walberg in something where he would have to be funny. So a few questions were left to be answered as i sat down to watch it.
The Other Guy’s opens with a cameo appearance from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Samuel L Jackson playing the “cool” cops in persuit of bad guys. Yes they do wind up catching them, however not without destroying a new york city block in the process. The fanfare comes from catching the bad guys and back to the office they go where we meet the other guys, played by Ferrell and Walberg. Ferrell has been transfered to jockey a desk from forensic accounting and Walberg’s claim to fame is being the yankee wacker (watch the movie)
While the duo of the Rock and Jackson only lasts about 15 mins of screen time, they are highly entertaining in a very campy way. This is where the movie gains most of its success, by not taking itself to seriously. The movie more or less goes from one gag to another with a punchline it seems every 30 seconds, with two main characters both playing the “straight” role. There isn’t really a bad guy to speak of in the movie….at least not one we care about in the end.
As per usual i won’t give away the entire movie but other than say, you won’t be missing much story wise.
While the first 70 mins of the movie acutally worked really well, the writers and director somehow decided to start telling a somewhat serious story at this point. And the last 40 mins of the movie feels like 3 hours. I am not sure where the direction was that we saw in the first half of the film. Seems that a studio may have gotten a hold of this and rewrote it to make it more appealing than just to Ferrell’s audience, and therein lies the problem.
People who go to see a movie with Will Ferrell in it expect, slap stick comedy. Hence the success of Anchorman (2005) or the dork that we came to know in Step Brothers (2008). When you start to try to get into story telling mode when you have a seriously talented comedic actor, your formula is going to fall apart, which is exactly what happened in the final 40 minutes of The Other Guys.
The Good- Samuel L Jackson and The Rock commit suicide ( its funnier than it sounds) The first 70 mins is really solid with some great lines and dialouge.
The Bad- Trying to tell a 2 hour story in 40 mins. Usually a recipe for a bomb of a film. While The Other Guy’s isn’t a bomb, the last half of this film would make me say wait for the dvd.
The Ugly- The elderly mother in law talking dirty to Will Ferrell. Its just not right.
The Verdict- While it has it’s moments The Other Guy’s sadly takes a it’s place in the Great Depression of summer movie 2010. Starts off well, but fades fast.
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