Movie: The Other Guys
Director: Adam McKay
Stars: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Derek Jeter, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Rob Riggle, Damon Wayans Jr., Michael Keaton,
Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material
Runtime: 107 minutes
Studio: Columbia Pictures

Melt serious action onto comedic dialogue and you’ve got “The Other Guys”, the latest vehicle for Will Ferrell (Detective Allen Gamble) and unlikely partner, co-star Mark Wahlberg (Detective and Wannabe Supercop, Terry Hoitz). The pairing is a surprisingly good one. The film highlights the story of cops who get all of the glory versus “The Other Guys” the cops that answer phones, write reports and basically do everything else with little to no recognition.

If Director Adam McKay would have asked me if putting Walberg and Ferrell together was appealing, I would have laughed in his face. But what do I know? Both talented A-list actors deliver most of their silly, and often comical dialogue with straight faces and heartfelt conviction and it is truly funny.

Since the basic premise is cops and robbers, the action scenes in “The Other Guys” are really exciting. Cars fly through the air into bank windows, but not before crashing into a tourist bus. If you are at all a fan of the "Airplane" films featuring the dearly departed Leslie Nielsen, “The Other Guys” have a similar style and form, when it comes to delivering ridiculous lines.



Cameos from the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Supercop Christopher Danson and Samuel L. Jackson as officer P.K. Highsmith falls into the "ego" action category. Johnson and Jackson play characters who are full of cartoonish posturing, which is stellar, while it lasts. Everywhere you turn in this film, there is a actor worthy of top billing, but it was almost uncomfortable to watch the great Micheal Keaton serve in the role of Police Captain Gene Mauch.Keaton deserves better use of his talents.

Horribly, though there were so many funny parts in "The Other Guys" which are just plain the sick and wrong, and of course that is the material that sticks in your brain. For instance, at one point Agent Gamble (Ferrell) is being hunted and hides in a park across the street from his home because knows the bad guys are watching his home. He signals his wife Dr. Shiela Gamble, aka the “Ol’ ball and chain”, played with a Laura Petrie (The Dick Van Dyke Show) flair and with a straight face by Eva Mendes. And Shiela sends out her grandmother, all bundled in winter clothes, with her walker to the park to give a message to her huband. Allen and Sheila communicate by sending messages to and fro via her grandmother. Each message is increasingly more and more inappropriate, and things that one should not ever want their grandmother to hear; let alone repeat. And the routine continues, each time with the grandmother expressing her concern with the adult content of the message and her increasing discomfort. Funny content, but the kind of stuff that makes you feel guilty for laughing out loud?

Not "entire family" friendly, "The Other Guys" is the chuckle-filled action/comedy template that is perfect if you need an adrenaline rush with a smile.