The Other Guys: The screw-ups try to make it big

Living in the shadow of someone else is always terribly disappointing. You are looked down upon and always have a much higher standard set for you which becomes difficult to live up to. It is also difficult to have to take up the reins when that someone else has moved on since you are then expected to fill in their shoes which is no easy task. That task becomes even more difficult if you are a screw-up, which is seen in the 2010 movie The Other Guys.

Terry was a motivated cop who wanted to make a name for himself as one of the top cops in New York City. Unfortunately for him, countless mistakes on the job led him to being confined in the office with Allen as a partner. Allen is an over-calculating detective who is happier doing research work instead of being out in the line of action. Terry and Allen are forced to sit at their desks and file the paperwork of the top detectives in the city, Danson and Highsmith. They are constantly bullied in their department for being ‘the other guys’ who don’t solve any cases but are forced to do the dog work of the rest of the department. When Danson and Highsmith meet their untimely deaths, every duo in the department has their sights on the unofficial label of top dog. Terry and Allen have to get over their spite for each other and get past their own shortcomings to make sure they finish ahead of every other cop duo in the city.

Directed by Adam McKay, this movie brings together the repertoire of Mark Wahlberg as an action star and Will Ferrell’s comedic relief. It is meant to be an action-comedy flick but isn’t here-or-there in either of the genres. It actually blends the worst of both genres since it doesn’t provide edge-of-the-seat action nor does it have laugh-out-loud funny moments.

There is nothing much that can be said about this film. It has a routine style to it and brings nothing special to the table in terms of plot and execution. As an action movie, it is poor. As a comedy, it’s worse. In fact, it’s a sad testament of what passes off as comedy in today’s industry.