The Other Guys

Since the advent of the critical essay, a particular problem has always faced the author in review of movies or plays or books: how to communicate that a work is worthwhile and what in particular lends the work said merit without giving anything away. Movie trailers have ruined more than one movie by including all of the funny parts. Some writers will tie an entire review to the “big moment” in whatever narrative they’re discussing, necessitating a reveal.

So let me save you the trouble up front: The Other Guys is really funny, and few (if any) of the truly great bits are in the trailers. I’m not going to explain anything about the plot, since you know what you need to know already from the promotional materials. I will say that I hurt myself laughing, and that this movie is two of my favorite kinds of comedy: a borderline surreal universe similar to Airplane!, and a movie that makes a larger point without ever getting heavy-handed or sacrificing humor.

I think the latter part is important because of Will Ferrell. He represents a rarity in the world of entertainment I actively consume in that I feel completely neutral about him. It seems like I hate half of his movies and skits, and then I laugh so hard at the other half of his work. Talladega Nights? Incredible. Semi-Pro? Deplorable. Old School? I may have peed a little during the streaking part. Elf? I hated myself at least a little for even renting it.

I think Ferrell is a performer who either works or doesn’t based on the context in which he appears, and it seems like if a studio puts Will Ferrell in their zany send-up of whatever, both he and the movie are intolerable. However, when he appears in things he or his close personal personals have a hand in making, the result is comedy gold. Observe this, from Ferrell and Other Guys co-writer / director Adam McKay:

This is sort of how The Other Guys goes, but without Pearl and with action sequences. I think maybe when Ferrell and McKay get together they just make good things that fit Ferrell’s performance style very well.  In fact, they work together all the time (Talladega Nights, Step-Brothers, Anchorman) and probably will keep doing so for the foreseeable future, especially now that FunnyOrDie.com is such a huge hit and Will Ferrell is so solidly where Jim Carey was 15 years ago .

The larger lesson at work here is economic, and the lesson embedded in the film’s crazy action sequences and dialog-driven comedy is like a puzzle that takes some time to resolve: Incredibly, McKay’s The Other Guys asks the viewer to think about the value of work. I promised up front I wouldn’t give anything away, so I can’t go into detail about how Ferrell and pals go about answering that question, but rest assured that the process is worth observing.

The only real complaint I have about the film is structural – the pacing kicks off at a brisk clip and then drags quite a bit in Act II. The last third of the movie feels much shorter than the middle third, and some of the stuff towards the end that vamps on buddy/cop movies is made up of sequences that usually appear in the first 45 minutes of the source material.

I think you could probably make this pacing argument about most comedies built like Airplane! and even about Airplane! itself. An issue like this has a habit of destroying the narrative of a film and would be unforgivable if the movie weren’t also very funny – but it is. Here, in proper context, I didn’t get tired at all of watching Ferrell and Wahlberg do their thing, but I did find myself wondering more than once when they were going to do their jobs and finally solve the case.

The Other Guys is a movie that sets out to be very funny and a little thoughtful and accomplishes both. Also, for what it is worth, there aren’t any weak links in the chain. Every player has quite a bit of comedy to dish out. Mark Wahlberg, Micheal Keaton, and Rob Riggle turn in particularly funny performances, providing a complimentary backdrop to Will Ferrell’s Will Ferrell.