Step 1: Give it a standing ovation. The Other Guys takes this summer’s crown for best and most quotable comedy.
Step 2: Laugh. Laugh really hard. The film’s trailer is actually one of those rare cases in which it is only a fraction of the humor in the film. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play detectives relegated to desk jobs. Wahlberg’s Terry Holtz has been sent there in disgrace for a reason I won’t divulged cause it’s really too good to give away, and he’s royally pissed about it. On the other hand, Ferrell’s Allen Gamble is seemingly optimistic, happy to fill out reports and stay away from the action. But he’s got a secret dark side he doesn’t ever want to let out. These two are about a mismatched as they can be and while that’s a pretty standard plot device, Wahlberg and Ferrell kill at it. Of course, they eventually go on a case together to chase down corporate thieves (think Bernie Madoff types), but it’s just another way to set up the laughs.
Step 3: Gotta love those wacky guys. Now while you think Wahlberg would be the straight guy, the two actors actually switch off, playing it both straight and crazy whenever the scene warrants it, which keeps the comedy fresh. It’s nice to see Ferrell playing off someone a little different than his usual cronies, and Wahlberg may have found a new niche. I see at least one Other Guys sequel in the future because we just HAVE to get these two together again. The supporting players also add a great comedic mix, from Eva Mendes as Gamble’s smokin’ hot wife (all of Gamble’s ex-girlfriends are hot, by the way), to Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson as badass hero cops to Michael Keaton as the TLC quoting police chief to Steve Coogan as the Ponzi-scheming money man.
Step 4:Thank Adam McKay. I guess you can chalk it up to director/co-writer McKay, who has been creating funny stuff for his old pal Will Ferrell for many years now. I’d kill to be a fly on the wall with Ferrell and McKay start brainstorming. This former SNL head writer started out in the film biz with a bang with Anchorman and Talladega Nights and although his Step Brothers fell a little short, The Other Guys has completely made up for it. Seriously, my sides still hurt from laughing. Even if some of the jokes are overplayed, The Other Guys just keeps delivering the yucks. Not sure which is my favorite scene. The quiet fight scene at a funeral, the getting drunk in a bar montage, the “aim for the bushes” moment, the lion/tuna scenario, the “Seriously, who IS she?” realization or just about 20 more of those scenes. I can’t pick.
Level of difficulty in watching The Other Guys: Are you kidding? None. I’m going to want to see it again in the theaters AND own the DVD. The gag reel has got to be a classic.