There was a time when I was a huge Will Ferrell fan. There was a long streak of time when it felt like the comedian could do no wrong. “Anchorman” is still in my top 10 favorite comedies of all time list. But then came a bit of a streak where I began to tire of him.

Unlike most people I wasn’t all that thrilled with Talladega Nights, I didn’t like Blades of Glory and I hated Semi-Pro. It seemed like Ferrell schtick had run out of juice… and them came along “Step Brothers” and I was suddenly a huge fan again.

The trailers for “The Other Guys” have looked just hilarious and I’ve found myself really looking forward to the film. Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L Jackson have looked hilarious in it and I was curious to see how Marky Mark would do as well. Was the movie as good as I had hoped? Well… not really.

THE GENERAL IDEA

The synopsis for “The Other Guys” reads like this: “NYPD Detectives Christopher Danson and P.K. Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) are the baddest and most beloved cops in New York City. They don’t get tattoos – other men get tattoos of them. Two desks over and one back, sit Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg). You’ve seen them in the background of photos of Danson and Highsmith, out of focus and eyes closed. They’re not heroes – they’re “the Other Guys.” But every cop has his or her day and soon Gamble and Hoitz stumble into a seemingly innocuous case no other detective wants to touch that could turn into New York City’s biggest crime. It’s the opportunity of their lives, but do these guys have the right stuff?”

THE GOOD

Will Ferrell is on in this movie. I ended up enjoying most of his on screen time. He wasn’t the usual Ferrell character either, but at the same time it was definitely his style. The running gag in the film about how the most beautiful women alway are attracted to him and want him despite a very simple exterior never got tired in the film and they seemed to make sure they didn’t overdo it.

It’s always nice to see Michael Keaton in stuff… even if it’s on a small role. His role as the Captain of their precinct was done a little differently that you’d expect and the results were pretty good.

As the trailers suggested, Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L Jackson were completely hilarious every single moment they were on screen and it seemed like every word that came out of their mouths got laughs. Their last scene in the movie is one I’ll remember and laugh about for a long time.

It’s no easy task to be opposite Will Ferrell in a comedy. But you know what, Mark Wahlberg did a really fine job holding his own and not getting lost in the Ferrell shadow, especially when you consider that comedy is not Wahlberg’s strong suit.

The Ferrel Characer’s background story is PURE GOLD! “Gator’s bitches better be usin a jimmy!” You’ll see what I mean.

Generally speaking there were a decent amount of laughs.

THE BAD

I knew going into the film that Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L Jackson didn’t have big roles in the film… but still… they were easily the funniest things in the film, and so it felt kinda empty when their characters leave. I felt like a lot of the wind in the movie’s sails got taken out.

Sometimes the movie gets just a little too silly. Ferrell is always silly, but I find his comedy works best when his silliness is set against a normal or serious context. But when everything is silly, the movie feels more like slapstick than a comedy. Ferrell’s character isn’t so odd and thus looses some of its punch.

The film was too long. At just under 1 hour 50 minutes it’s not THAT long of a movie, but for the movie it was it stretched out too far. A good tight 90 minutes is what this film should have been. As a result the movie feels like it starts to drag around the half way point and never really gets that momentum back that it establishes in the first 20-30 minutes.

Eva Mendes is one of the hottest women on the planet, and generally speaking I like her as an actress… but for some reason that I really can’t put my proverbial finger on, she just didn’t work for me in this film. Maybe it was miscasting, maybe it was just her character in general… but for whatever reason she/her character didn’t work for me at all.

OVERALL

“The Other Guys” is a respectably funny film with a couple of big laugh out loud moments, a good performance by both the leads and two fantastic characters in Johnson and Jackson, however, the best characters are used too little in the film, it drags on a bout 15 minutes too long and it degrades into slapstick a few too many times which made Ferrell’s character just seem normal. Overall I enjoyed it, but was a little let down by it. I give “The Other Guys a 6.5 out of 10.

I had a chance to go to the premiere at the Chinese theatre in Hollywood last week, and I can tell you that all the hype this movie is getting it totally 100% justified. This movie just rules.

In my review below, you’ll notice i forgot to give the film a score. I’ll give it a 9/10. In my opinion it’s the second best film of the year (just behind Toy Story 3).

So take a minute and watch my Scott Pilgrim vs the World review:

Still… GREAT movie. Here’s my review: