REVIEW: THE OTHER GUYS (2010): *** out of 4 stars.
In a year bereft of decent comedies, “The Other Guys” did a pretty good job trying to rise above the mediocrity. While not a high concept comedy, “The Other Guys” benefits from the old standby pairing of lead actor Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay. Throw in Mark Wahlberg as a foil to Will Ferrell’s zaniness and this film makes for an enjoyable ride.
Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) are paperwork minions at the New York Police Department, while two celebrity police officers (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) take all the glory. When the celebrity officers die unexpectedly it is up to Allen and Terry to step into the spotlight. During an attempt to arrest a high-power businessman for not having scaffolding permits they uncover a vast trade conspiracy that ends up threatening the police department itself. Allen and Terry must battle the odds not only from the corporations, but also resistance in their own department to get to the bottom of the crime.
Ferrell was actually able to tone back his normal rambunctious antics which provided a less grating tone than his previous films and he seemed to be willing to let Wahlberg share part of his comedic spotlight as well. While not all the jokes and one-liners land, they are more hit than miss. There was a distinct lack of a coherent plot, but that was not so bothersome as long as Ferrell and Wahlberg kept the laughs coming.
While overall this was a very funny film, it did falter at times with its pace. The first twenty minutes of the movie were tight and stayed funny, but then for the next twenty minutes it meandered into nothingness, seemingly trying to find direction and what type of movie it wanted to be. It continued this alternating pattern throughout the entire two hours, but in the end it paid off with big laughs and some decent (sometimes satirical) action.
Brian Pac Sostak
Chris Petersen
Sarah Higgins
stjerome03
Chris and Pac Take on Hollywood 
As I was driving home from the theater I started to realize how much I actually enjoyed this film. I mentioned to you after the showing that I thought the political undertone added one too many genres to the movie but I retract that comment.
In the time of the famous buddy cop movies “The Other Guys” is parodying (Lethal Weapon, Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours, etc.), the on-screen pairs used absurd driving, fighting, and shooting along with a little police work to stop the blue collar crimes that were at the forefront of the news at that time (murder, drug trafficking, etc.). What this film did was used that same formula with the white collar crime that is so scrutinized during our generation. It dawned on me shortly after watching “The Other Guys” that this concept was more hilarious than any of the one-liners or back and forth Ferrell and Wahlberg delivered, and set this movie apart from any of Ferrell’s other, less intelligent, works.
I also agree with you about Ferrell toning it down and allowing Wahlberg to shine, this morning I thought about what the most memorable parts of this movie were for me and 2 of the 3 most memorable scenes were ones stolen by Wahlberg. (SPOILER ALERT) The scene on the porch after he meets Ferrell’s wife, and the gunfight in the executive room were laugh out loud funny. I’m looking forward to seeing this again and quoting it as often as I do Step Brothers and Talledega Nights.
Yeah, the parts I remember were by Wahlberg as well. While I thought the line was lame last night, I found myself quoting it today, “I’m a peacock! You gotta let me fly!!!”
dude check out my review.