The Other Guys

"The Other Guys" may not be your typical everyday cop film, but it's definitely the funniest. Seriously, I can't remember a cop movie that was so hilarious, that I was laughing during almost every scene. Forget about the cop part of the story.  Or even the ideology that all cop movies primary focus should be on two guys who hate each other, but they eventually come together at the end to try to solve a case. Sure, that still remains true in this movie, but that's not the emphasis of this story. If anything, the case itself is nothing more than a subplot that drives the rest of the story along nicely, to set up the various comical scenes between Mark Wahlberg (Terry Hoitz) and Will Ferrell (Allen Gamble).  And to a lesser extent, Dwayne Johnson (Christopher Danson) and Samuel L. Jackson (P.K. Highsmith).  Unlike most cop comedies, the emphasis isn't really so much on two guys that hate each other, at first, coming together to solve a case or busting the bad guys if you will. The true emphasis of this story is really on the weird relationship between Terry and Allen, as they pretty much poke fun at a lot of the traditional cop movie cliches.

Indeed, one could easily make a sound argument that "The Other Guys" is actually more of a light parody of cop buddy movies. Ranging from the egotistical bad a** cops like P.K. Highsmith and Christopher Danson, who do a lot of over the top stunts while uttering cliche one liners.  To the stereotype of two unlikely partners that absolutely can't stand each other.  A no nonsense police chief, played by Michael Keaton (Captain Gene Mauch).  Terry, a tough as nails cop, who has a conflicted past.  To even incorporating the alleged plain wife, who's actually really hot played Eva Mendes (Dr. Sheila Gamble), that worries too much about her husband, Allen and his line of work.  Yes, all these cliches and stereotypes all get poked fun of in this movie.  With no exception to even how the cops are able to walk away from an exploding building looking stoic and cool in movies, as it shows that's not really the case.  If that wasn't bad enough, the typical method "good cop, bad cop" gets made fun of in this film as well.  It seems like nothing is sacred in "The Other Guys", and that's just the way I like it.

In fact, I'll even go on record to say that "The Other Guys" is by far one of the funniest comedies of the year.  Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg make an excellent team, as they each feed off each others' performances so well, you'll die laughing at some of their exploits together.  

Sure, the story is predictable as sin with a boat load of cliches, but "The Other Guys" isn't your typical cop movie.  It's a parody of cop movies if anything, that it doesn't try to be anything more than what it is.  It's almost like the film itself is saying that it knows the story generically sucks, but it rolls with it.  Saying we may have a predictable story with a lot of cop buddy movie cliches, but that's not going to stop us from emphasizing about the comedy and making you laugh at it.  "The Other Guys" is definitely worth seeing if your looking for a few good laughs.