It takes true talent to make cliches entertaining. Would “Shaun of the Dead” be nearly as funny if you had never seen a zombie or horror movie? Would “Slumdog Millionaire” be as endearing if he didn’t get the girl or without the Bollywood dance number at the end? Much like “Shaun of the Dead,” Will Ferrell’s latest film, “The Other Guys,” seems to be messing with the cliches of the cop genre.
The clips below show some pretty typical scenes. The cool guy not believing the nerd has a hot wife, two bad-ass cops praising/mocking the desk jockeys, the nerd not getting a gun, etc.
What makes these scenes funny and surprising is the actors. Will Ferrell tells Eva Mendes that she looks like a hobo, Samuel L. Jackson threatens a beat down, and Mark Wahlberg smoothly adds flotation devices to the Miranda Rights. Of course, credit also needs to go to the writers, but not every actor could pull this level of ridiculousness off.
Director Adam McKay has teamed up with Ferrell before (“Step Brothers,” “Talledaga Nights” and “Anchorman”) with great results. I don’t expect “The Other Guys” to be any different. It will be nice to see more serious actors like Mark Wahlberg and Samuel L. Jackson to make some jokes, while Will Ferrell and Steve Coogan are always comedic pleasures.
“The Other Guys” will hit theatres Aug. 6.
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Follow Allison Higginbotham on Twitter at http://twitter.com/allisonbh.
I can’t wait to see this.