HOLLYWOOD—We all need a little bit of comedy each day to lighten the mood. For those of you looking for a great laugh, check out “The Other Guys” starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. I thoroughly enjoyed this film about two partners who are nothing alike. Ferrell portrays Allen Gamble, a police detective who is more subtle than most. He loves his office job immensely. Then we have Wahlberg who plays Officer Terry Hoitz. Hoitz hates his office job; he’s full of rage and wants to get back on the beat, but because of his run-in with Yankees star Derek Jeter, he’s been put on office duty.
The film’s opening is narrated by Ice-T as he discusses the heroics of two of NYPD’s best: Detectives Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Officer Danson (Dwayne Johnson). They’re both loud, somewhat obnoxious and daredevils, which ultimately results in their demise. This opens the door for Gamble and Hoitz to become the top dogs, but these two just don’t click. Gamble’s overly-happy personality irritates Hoitz to death. Who wants to stay at their computer doing paperwork all day? Ferrell is so great with his facial expressions and tactics that, as an audience member, the laughs naturally come.
Gamble and Hoitz find themselves working together on a case that no one else in the department wants; the more that they work together to uncover the truth the more their bond grows. Terry learns about Allen’s gorgeous wife Dr. Sheila Gamble, played by Eva Mendes. Terry’s reaction to meeting her is hilarious; he can’t believe that Allen is married to such a pretty woman. The chemistry between Ferrell and Mendes is contagious. The same applies when the audience is first introduced to Terry’s significant other Francine (Lindsay Sloane). Who knew Mark Wahlberg was so light on his feet? The discovery of Allen’s glory days at college can only be described with one word—magnificent.
Joining in on the laughs is Captain Gene Mauch (Michael Keaton) whose references to R&B songstresses “TLC” are amusing. The fact that he works a second job at Bed Bath & Beyond to earn extra money for his kid at college forces the audience to realize that we truly are in an economic pickle these days. His excitement at his second job is memorable as he addresses co-workers about the new bath mats. There are some amazing scenes in the film that are memorable such as the good cop bad cop routine or perhaps Allen and Sheila’s use of her mother to convey loving messages to one another. There is nothing funny about an old lady crossing the street, but what they put this woman through is unbearable. All I can say is that you’ll never want to hear dirty words come from an old woman’s mouth ever again.
Perhaps the universal message that I found uplifting about the film is that there are so many heroes in the world that never get the recognition they deserve because they work behind the scenes; they’re not the ones we see on the TV screen all the time. You don’t have to be in the limelight to get the recognition we sometimes so desperately crave. Will Ferrell is at his best in this uproarious comedy because it comes natural to him. While there are moments of slapstick, the one-liners and reactions are much funnier.
Wahlberg is equally hilarious in a role that audiences aren’t used to seeing him in. Even though people can be complete opposites they can find a way to bond. It has been said time and time again that opposites attract and “The Other Guys” proves that. If you’re looking for a side-splitting comedy that will cause you to laugh so hard that your stomach hurts, “The Other Guys” is the film for you.
