The Other Guys: Plot May Cop Out, But Comedy Doesn't

You know what? I don't even care that this is one of the most random, scattershot, and weirdest films to hit theaters this year. I am just grateful for the laughs. There are big laughs, small chuckles, and yes even a few misfires. But finally after seeing so many comedic duds comes a film whose sole purpose is to get the audience laughing. In that respect The Other Guys succeeds.

With a narration by Ice-T (I believe) during the opening credits we witness two hot shot officers P.K. Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Christopher Danson (Dwayne Johnson) commit millions of dollars worth of property damage by performing over-exaggerated big budget stunts like driving their muscle car into a building causing an explosion that no one could possibly walk away from. So seeing them totally unscathed in the next scene gets a laugh. These guys are the top dogs that every cop wants to be, especially Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) who has been saddled with a 'paper bitch' partner he despises named Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell).

After the very early and hilarious demise of Highsmith and Danson, Terry decides that now is the time to slide into their place. He forces Allen, sometimes at gunpoint, to go on some of the more dangerous calls. One of them involves corporate thief David Ershon (Steve Coogan). In the process we learn of random details like Allen's former life as a pimp, and that these guys can be easily bribed with tickets to broadway shows. None of this really progresses the plot very much, but most of these tangents provide enough laughs that I really didn't mind.

This is yet another collaboration between Director Adam Mckay and Will Ferrell, and if you are at all familiar with their previous efforts (Anchorman, Step Brothers) you will see that The Other Guys is more of the same. There are lines of dialogue that appear to be made up right on the spot. Improv can be pretty risky, but hits the jackpot when it works. Just for fun sometime I would love to take a stopwatch to a movie like this and gauge how much time is spent on relevant story versus random jokes and subplots. My early estimation is something of a 50/50 ratio.

The Other Guys is hardly a great film, but I was not disappointed with it the way I was with numerous other supposed comedies in recent memory. It is worth a rental, but if you can't decide between this and Dinner for Schmucks, then definitely go with this one. You will have the right to remain amused. B