Blind Squirrel Finds Acorn

Last weekend, against my better judgment, I went to see the latest Will Ferrell movie, a spoof of cop films entitled The Other Guys.  I entered the theater with very low expectations due to the fact that every other movie that Ferrell's been in has, for lack of a better term, sucked giant sweaty hippopotamus testicles.  But since the previews for The Other Guys contained a few laughs, and the supporting cast of Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson looked promising, I decided to throw caution to the wind and check it out.

And what do you know, the blind squirrel found an acorn.

Don't get me wrong, The Other Guys will not be a featured film at Cannes, nor will it garner any Academy Award nominations, but it was surprisingly not-terrible.  The first half hour alone was funnier than any four other Ferrell movies combined (five if Anchorman is one of them).  Wahlberg is excellent in an angry, smoldering counterpoint to Ferrell's well-meaning buffoon, and Ferrell himself avoids (for the most part) over-playing scenes and being an annoying asshole in general.  I can't believe I'm writing this, but if we're going to be honest here, he was actually pretty good.

Warning: Spoilers to follow.

By far the funniest scene was when Ferrell takes Wahlberg to his house to meet his wife, played by the ridiculously hot Eva Mendes.  Eva enters the living room, and Ferrell introduces her to Wahlberg saying, "Yeah, this is Sylvia, the ball and chain.  Forgive her for her sloppy appearance."  Mendes was wearing a low-cut dress that was absolutely stunning, but Ferrell keeps criticizing her appearance, her cooking, everything about her.  Wahlberg is flabbergasted.  "No, seriously, who is she?" he asks, refusing to believe that this knockout could possibly be married to his idiot partner.  The scene goes on, with Wahlberg continuing to ask, "C'mon, really.  Who is she?"  I can't really do it justice in written form, but Wahlberg is absolutely hysterical in his disbelief.

As part of the Wahlberg character's backstory, he is constantly being reminded of his greatest career screw up, specifically, shooting Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter in the leg.  This earned him the nickname "The Yankee Clipper," and his fellow officers never let him forget it.  One great line: "You shoulda shot A-rod!" 

So anyway, it seems like Ferrell CAN make a funny movie every so often.  While it's not great by any stretch, compared to the rest of the Will Ferrell collection, it's Citizen Kane.  Definitely worth seeing.

Oh, one last thing.  If you're a fan of Dwayne Johnson or Samuel L. Jackson and are planning to see this movie because they're in it, don't bother.  Their total screen time is maybe ten minutes (a funny ten minutes, but then they're gone).


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