Will Ferrell’s career path has had an interesting trajectory. It seems that the more famous he has become, the less funny he has appeared to be. The ratio reached equilibrium in 2004, when Ferrell became a major star on the release of his best film appearance to date, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Since then, his old SNL clips have become YouTube currency, but his work as a leading man has been patchy at best. So, after the debacle that was last year’s Land of the Lost, it was a relief to see him teaming up with Adam McKay again for the action spoof The Other Guys. And while it isn’t a complete return to form for Ferrell, it’s at least a sign of a pulse left in his comedic veins.
In The Other Guys, Ferrell stars opposite Mark Wahlberg as a pair of desk jockeys in the New York Police Department. Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) aches to be on the streets but can’t after an earlier career misstep. Allen Gamble (Ferrell) is content to fill out paperwork and hero worship the over-the-top action star cops in the department (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson in brief but hilarious roles). But when a red-tape case that Gamble is working on develops into something more substantial, the two are thrown into the middle of the action, to Hoitz’s delight and Gamble’s terror.
The jokes in The Other Guys are funny; don’t get me wrong. Gamble is overly sensitive and tries to play therapist to Hoitz; Hoitz is baffled by Gamble’s hot wife (Eva Mendes) and history of success with women of her caliber; Gamble is so inept as a cop that his weapon gets downgraded from a handgun to a wooden gun to a rape whistle. But the jokes are repetitive. Even a potentially memorable series of exchanges between Gamble and his mother-in-law is rendered ineffective because it goes on for one trip too long.
The film might be saved by its supporting cast. Michael Keaton has an unexpected turn as the department’s captain, Steve Coogan is quite funny as the billionaire with shady connections who Gamble and Hoitz are investigating, and Rob Riggle and Damon Wayans, Jr. pitch in as B-level cops desperate to earn Jackson and Johnson’s level of fame.
Like Cop Out earlier this year, The Other Guys doesn’t use its action elements wisely and ultimately regrets it. The first and last sequences of the movie are quite funny from an action standpoint, but the rest of the movie fumbles to find a balance. Unlike Cop Out, there is enough funny on hand to cover up most of the sins.
*** of 5
Note: If you want to see the action comedy spoof at its best, check out Hot Fuzz.