The Other Guys

I have to admit that Will Ferrell is my favorite comedic actor. His new comedy, The Other Guys, is solid. It’s definitely funny but not as great as some of his other movies.

The Other Guys is about two flawed police detectives. The first is Allen Gamble, played by Will Ferrell (Talladega Nights, Step Brothers).Gamble is a former college Pimp turned police accountant who spends most of his time doing deskwork and auditing people. Terry Hoitz, played by Mark Wahlberg (Shooter, The Departed) is this constantly angry cop after he shot Derek Jeter several years ago and he has troubles with his girlfriend.

After the two hot-shot cops die jumping off a building, Gamble and Hoitz, The Other Guys, become the main attraction after they stumble upon a huge case that involves a wealthy businessman, robbery, and a potential billion dollar scam. When their captain and everyone else discourage them from pursuing this case, the Other Guys don’t listen and attempt to solve the case of their careers.

First off, the cast is outstanding. Besides Ferrell and Wahlberg, the cast includes Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Eva Mendes, Damon Wayans Jr, Rob Riggle, Samuel L Jackson and Dwayne the Rock Johnson. Everyone hits their roles perfectly. Mendes plays the hot wife, Wayans and Riggle play the rival detectives, but obviously Ferrell is the centerpiece. Every scene he’s in is a laugh out loud situation while Whalberg’s character aside from playing his partner, is there to put Ferrell in situations where he can be funny.

The one problem I had with this movie is the story. Throughout the movie, they attempt to try to unveil what’s going on but it’s never actually clear until the last 5 minutes. Usually comedies tend to have simple stories that are clear but this isn’t the case. Even with movies like Anchorman and The Hangover, the storyline is clear so in this respect the movie failed. I heard somewhere that the movie didn’t know how to end and in that regard I totally agree.

If you planed on seeing this movie for the story, don’t. But that’s not what this movie is about. Go see it for the jokes, gags and cast. Every scene is hilarious. You won’t stop laughing the whole movie. This isn’t the greatest comedy of the year, not even close. That award goes to Get Him to the Greek. The Other Guys is probably in the top 5 somewhere with Hot Tub Time Machine, Dinner for Schmucks and Grown Ups. If comedies are your thing, definitely check it out. If you’re going to the theatre, go see it because it’s probably the best movie showing now. It’s hilarious but doesn’t bring much depth in the story.