The Other Guys (A-)

A-
Witty lyrics, good acting, and humorous scenarios make this the year’s funniest film. Add onto that the entertaining action and you have one good movie.
Detectives Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz are to ordinary looking guys with dark pasts. Gamble has been trying to repair his relationship with his “plain wife” (Eva Mendes of We Own the Night), the anchor keeping him from leaving his mundane life as a timid nobody doing paper work for the police force to go roam the streets as the vicious pimp Gator, notorious in university dorm-rooms. Hoitz is bitter and resentful after being the one cop on a corrupt force who gets in trouble (he did the one thing New York couldn’t forgive when he accidentally crippled Derek Jeter). However, as the dark forces of Wall Street execs unite with the Russian mafia, these two might be the only people able to bring justice back to the city. No wait, that job falls to Detectives Danson and Highsmith. This movies just about the other guys.
Every piece of the force behind the over-the-top comedy does their share, and what’s more writer/producer/director Adam McKay (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) makes sure they fit into together. The impressive cast—which includes Michael Keaton, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Steve Coogan—all shine, but the best comes from the two leads. Will Ferrell (Elf and all of McKay’s most famous films) is in his element as Gamble, and Mark Wahlberg (Boogie Nights, The Departed, The Fighter) is so good as Hoitz he is actually at times quite scary.
Of course the acting only works since there is a script to back it up. The jokes fly by so frequently its as if one is watching Airplane, and the plot has enough of a story for us to care about the characters and enough restraint to keep things from becoming offensive or disappointing. To increase the fun, the movie also has some playful action sequences—a great substitute for the vulgarities that usually fill up spare space in films of this genre. The movie also wants to give some messages on corporate corruption, but doesn’t interrupt the plot more than necessary. Much of this is do to the inclusion of some startling statistics in the credits—a new strategy that creates a great compromise between those who want an a-political story and those who want to make a statement. A truly hilarious film, The Other Guys is great fun for practically everyone.