Movie Review: The Other Guys

Yes, that's a giant picture of Mark Wahlberg up above. Yes, that's happiness. Yes, that's the reason to see this movie.

Actually, you notice that shirt? It's a Bayside Tigers shirt. Not actual SBTB paraphernalia (colors are wrong for that), but you know, cool nonetheless if you're a geek like me.

Mark Wahlberg and his wardrobe aside, was the movie any good? I have to be honest with you, I don't remember much beyond there was Marky Mark in a Bayside shirt and there was Marky Mark in a tux at one point ... oh, and Michael Keaton, a police chief who works a side job at Bed, Bath and Beyond and quotes TLC.

Actually, okay, there was a plot. There were these two cops (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) who were the pompous-ass-cops of the NYPD. Unfortunately their heads were too big and they met an untimely end. Some cops had to step up and take their place.

Who was it? Alex Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (the aforementioned super-hot Mark Wahlberg). Gamble is a guy who despises confrontation and anything besides number-crunching - on the surface. Hoitz is a good cop, but he was tethered to the idiotic Gamble because he shot Derek Jeter. (Hell, I'd shoot Derek Jeter, so you know, I don't know why he was punished that much.)

Anyway, Gamble stumbled across some missing scaffolding permits and wants to arrest this guy. Good news - he's right to arrest him. Bad news - he needs to be arrested for a while lot more than missing scaffolding permits. The problem? Everything. The guy who needs to be arrested is in deep with the Nigerians, the Chechnyans (for an apparent attempt at a Chechnyan-version of Dora the Explorer that didn't work out well), as well as a billion-dollar company.

But it's Hollywood, so you know there's a happy ending. (Or a few. You know everyone's problem was resolved. Well, except for Michael Keaton's bisexual kid, but you know, you can't win them all.)

I really can't stand Will Ferrell. If it's not Talladega Nights, I'm not interested. He really stuck to his normal mojo - yelling a little too much, and playing the idiot well. I actually saw his character much like the one in Stranger than Fiction. But the fact of the matter is, I didn't go to this movie to see Will Ferrell. He was just sort of like the annoying yelling guy in the background while I drooled over Mark Wahlberg.

Sorry, had to pause for a Marky Mark break. There were some great one-liners though ...

• "Did someone call 9-1-oh holy shit?" (Samuel L. Jackson - who else?)
• "We are like literally driving around in a vagina." (Said about the red Prius that would in no way survive what it was put through, but it's Hollywood.)
• Bad guy on the excessiveness in America: "I own 18 Lamborghinis and a Subaru Outback station wagon."
• Said as bad guy was being arrested: "I hope you like prison food ... and penis."

There were some more, but I don't want it to be like one of those trailers where all the funny parts of the movie are revealed before you see it. That's no fun.

Bottom line - tolerable. Especially if you like watching Mark Wahlberg (and I do) along with a Toyota Prius falling apart (always fun).