Well, it certainly is entertaining. Whether or not you want to take The Other Guys seriously as a buddy cop movie- that’s another question. But in the director’s defense, I highly doubt he wanted anyone to take these guys seriously.
Terry (Mark Whalberg) and Allen (Will Ferrell) are desk detectives, one trying to spread his peacock wings and do some real police work, the other just trying to mind his own business and be the paper-pusher he was destined to be. When a corrupt banking incident is brought to their attention, the duo finally get their chance to shine instead of just being those other guys.
In my opinion the height of Will Ferrell funny was Anchorman, and this film is kind of far off. There were some real WTF moments, and those certainly came often, but the funny is buried in there. On the other hand, Whalberg tries his hand at being violent AND funny (instead of just violent), and perhaps that’s the way to make his anger tolerable. The two work well together as partners in comedic crime, because it’s their constant failure that carries the film.
In short, I wasn’t terribly impressed. Though, with the addition of Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, and Michael Keaton (just to name a few of the notable cast and cameos)…I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a sequel from director Adam McKay.
Rating: 2.7/5
