The Other Guys

Sitting down to watch this trailer for 'The Other Guys' I was surprised to see what I was sure would be a funny movie starring Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson as two tough New York City cops who were sure to follow the classic formula -- ridiculous action junkies who are impervious to bullets (save for that late third act flesh wound), bitterly divorced and alone while having only each other, and funny as hell because hey... they're so mis-matched! How can that not be funny?

Then the trailer reveals the real main characters and the stroke of genius becomes apparent. Jackson and Johnson are the set-up. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are the stars. Two even more mis-matched cops who quite literally annoy the hell out of each other and who are as far on the opposite side of the spectrum as the action heroes. That's definitely funnier than the original funny premise was sure to be, which was very funny itself.

'The Other Guys' trailer ingeniously breaks some rules by waiting 30 seconds before even showing Will Ferrell or Mark Wahlberg, insisting upon an action scene starring the more obvious action stars instead.

These stories are tied together when Mace Windu and The Rock come back to the police station to receive love and adoration from their peers before verbally abusing Will Ferrell, who excitedly snaps off photos of them as they do it. It makes sense in the trailer. And is also hilarious.

The advantage in advertising talent-led comedy (as opposed to concept-led comedy, ala 'Knocked Up' or 'The Hangover') is that for a preview like this, you really only need to show a few comic bits featuring your actors to really get the idea of what you're in for. You don't need to understand the plot.

So while I now understand what to expect from 'The Other Guys,' I can't really tell you what it's about. I'm sure somewhere along the way, Ferrell and Wahlberg get involved in a case that seems ridiculous, turns out quite complex, and earns them the respect of their peers. That's just a guess...

... but c'mon.

The selected scenes work and are all funny, even if we have seen most of it before: the bad cop accidentally talking the potential suicide into jumping is hardly original, and Will Ferrell's man-child has been made famous by every single Will Ferrell movie in history. I have to credit the guy; depending on the scenario and his surrounding talent, this still works.

Wahlberg on the other side looks to make an amazing straight-man, since he looks like he's usually annoyed anyway, pairing him with Ferrell is inspired.

Rounding out the supporting cast (as far as the trailer tells us) besides Jackson and Johnson are Eva Mendes as Ferrell's 'ball & chain' (another great gag in the trailer) and Michael Keaton playing the police chief, a welcome return to more adult comedy (and just a welcome return in general...)

There are likely few real surprises or thrills in 'The Other Guys,' but that's not what I'm buying. If those occur, they will be an added bonus. Based on the collection of bits and the promise from the performers involved, this gets no less than an 'Opening Night.'

Picture opens this Friday, August 6.

Until next time!