8/6/10

The Other Guys

This slam-bang, over-the-top comedy/action flick starts with slam-bang, over-the-top vehicular mayhem. Two ultra macho cops are chasing petty thieves. They wreck dozens of cars, trucks and a bus, and blow up numerous buildings. These highly decorated heroes are portrayed with conceited gusto by Dwayne Johnson ("The Tooth Fairy") and Samuel L. Jackson ("Iron Man"). AND these two guys are merely cameos for the movie to come.

"The Other Guys" who sit at the police station and do the paperwork for their famous colleagues, are played by Will Ferrell ("Land of the Lost") and Mark Wahlberg ("Date Night"). Ferrell is an PD accountant who is ready to arrest an international financier, played by Steve Coogan ("In the Loop"), because despite his multi-million dollar developments, he has never obtained any permits for scaffolding. Wahlberg is semi- disgraced because of an unfortunate incident with baseball star Derek Jeter.

Here are some of the supporting players in this laugh-out-loud comedy:
  • Derek Jeter (You have to see this one to believe it) is a victim of Wahlburg's;
  • Ray Stevenson ("Rome") is some sort of henchman;
  • Anne Heche ("Everwood") is a business associate of Coogan's;
  • The Jersey Boys cast does "Big Girls Don't Cry";
  • Eva Mendez ("The Women") is Ferrell's physician wife;
  • Michael Keaton ("Toy Story 3") is our heroes' captain.
I could go on and on; just look at the front row at the basketball game and your head will spin as you identify face after face.

Be sure to stay for the final credits. They show graphs and charts that illustrate the enormity of the 2008/2009 financial meltdown and the mind-boggling bonuses rewarded to the CEOs who engineered it. Many of us stayed seated for that fascinating bit.