Viewed once in theaters, 15 August 2010
Honestly I can say that Will Ferrell is one of my least favorite actors. I can also say that Mark Wahlberg is one of my favorites. To pair the two in a buddy movie sounded mismatched, to say the least. I also wasn't too excited about the writers/directors/etc. (the same people behind crass films such as Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and StepBrothers). It's really hard to draw the line between what's funny and what's unnecessary. It's also really hard to do when the unnecessary is really funny.
I didn't read any reviews of this film before going to see it. I just saw the trailer, watched a few minutes of it while at work, and knew the premise. I probably should have read some reviews of it before going to see it. Unfortunately, I wound up watching a movie that is really gross, foul, vulgar, goofy...and funny.
Ferrell and Wahlberg play two cops (Gamble and Hoitz, respectively) who seem to be cursed with being ordinary cops with nothing special or outstanding going on in their lives at all. They're relegated to desk jobs, doing paperwork for the "supercops" who go out and blow stuff up for the fun of it, just because they can. Gamble is perfectly happy at his safe, stable desk; Hoitz is going stir-crazy, wishing he was out in the fight, but he can't go anywhere because Gamble is his partner. When a freak accident happens and the #1 supercops are killed in the line of duty (albeit as a result of a stupid ego trip--which actually is one of the funniest scenes in the movie), Hoitz sees his chance to take over the "cool" job and fulfill his dream of being a supercop! Only one problem--Gamble has no desire to go anywhere or do anything even remotely dangerous. What can you do when your partner doesn't want to follow you out into the fray?
Turns out Gamble had some rough days in college (some pretty funny jokes about his evolution into a pimp happen). His dark days keep following him, and he occasionally explodes in angry tirades laced with profanities and "pimp-talk." It's pretty funny to see Ferrell doing that.
This is not one of Wahlberg's best films. He's obviously mismatched with Ferrell, and his performance as a not-so-straight guy is rather plastic. He's actually one of the weaker characters in this film, and it's kindof pathetic. However, he provides a few laugh-inducing lines (and a few groaners, too). The main problem is that his character doesn't really have alot of depth to him. We don't really learn the heart or motivations of Hoitz, beyond understanding that he has a woman whom he loves intensely and she thinks he's a jerk, and that he wants to be one of the best cops ever.
NEGATIVES:
>>Profanity is one of the names of the game. Plugged In Online counts over 50 S-words, not to mention alot of uses of nasty names (mostly just b****h), h**l, d**n, and some abuses of God's name. The obscenities are delivered in such a way that it just rolls off the tongue of the characters, as if they use it all the time without even thinking about it. It's pretty exhausting to have to hear that kind of stuff. Unfortunately, some of the better comedic points of the movie are saturated with foul language, and it takes away from the humor. (Even more unfortunate, sometimes the profanity adds to the humor and creates an uncomfortable moment, where one is laughing and thinking "Wow, I shouldn't be laughing.") Sometimes it seems like the writers had nothing better to say and threw in some profanities for lack of better jokes.
>>Violence is in alot of this film. People fall off buildings (although it's pretty funny) and get shot at constantly; one fistfight is pretty cool but kindof violent; tasers and bombs are used; cars are wrecked; a dead body is run over; computers and windows are smashed; a few face punches happen; jokes are told about shooting people and mowing down suspects. None of it is really unbearable.
>>One or two comments about God are made, mostly in connection with a funeral and supercops taking their sidearms to heaven with them.
>>Alcohol and drugs are used to comedic effect. At one point, Gamble accidentally rams his car into a huge mountain of cocaine. One of my favorite scenes in the film involves a still shot of Gamble and Hoitz having a wild drinking night at a bar (it looks really cool because it's a still shot, but the camera is moving around in and through the scene--really cool effect that tells the story quickly and effectively). Cue the hangover jokes.
>>Sex is loud and proud in this film. It's another of the crazy excesses of this film. People make jokes about anatomy, female functions, uninhibited sexual encounters, and the unrestrained sex that "comes with being a supercop." Double entendres and innuendo is prevalent. Prostitution and pimping are running jokes. One character watches something on his laptop that sounds an awful lot like child porn. Gamble attracts all the ladies and they all throw themselves on him--something that Hoitz cannot understand. Hoitz is extremely attracted to Gamble's wife; Gamble is a complete jerk to his wife. Homeless guys have an orgy in the backseat of Gamble's Prius after it's been stolen from him. It's all pretty gross, leading to a mixed bag about this film.
Many times the jokes in this film fall short. The lines that are supposed to be funny just aren't. It's obvious to us that the actors/filmmakers think that it's hilarious, but somehow it's lost in translation to the audience. The inappropriate jokes and gags are sickening at times. The acting is usually pretty shallow and unrealistic. The storyline is lame and doesn't really interest us as much as the characters do. (It's hard to believe that two guys could be shot at this much at point-blank range and run away without a scratch.) There's far too much profanity and sexual jokes. It's crass, gross, vulgar, inappropriate, and unnecessary.
Unfortunately, I also found this film to be really funny. The shock value of it makes me laugh, as does the unrealistic characters and the bizarre world they live in. Some of the jokes are original; some of them border on satire and parody. It's the second Will Ferrell film I actually like (the other one being Stranger than Fiction). It makes me sick that I would like a film so chock-full of nastiness. I would not recommend this film for young children, and it's definitely not the kind of movie you'd watch with your grandparents. Overall, I think that this movie is not truly worth wading through the tide of sinful excess. Sure, it's funny, but it would be so much better if the profanity and sexual jokes were not there. (The movie would only be about forty minutes long.)
This movie also comes with a message, even though it's not really well communicated and is kindof killed off at the end: It's OK to be average. You don't have to be a supercop or a hero to millions of people. You just need to do your thing, love your family, be true to who you are and don't try to be something you're not meant to be. It'll only lead you to some danger and a miserable lifestyle. Finding your true calling and being happy in your home life--apparently that's the way to live.
3 out of 6 stars
So that everyone (including myself) may benefit from it, please feel free to leave your own personal opinion of this film.
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