The Other Guys

So went and saw The Other Guys with the good ole Mom and broseph after eating an incredible amount of sushi last night and I've gotta say, it wasn't too bad. The Other Guys is a classic Will Ferrell vehicle that knows it's silly and embraces it. While it's no Step-brothers, The Other Guys starts off in a way that has the audience cracking up. Samuel L Jackson and Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) are hilarious as two over-blown caricatures of action heroes. When their luck takes a turn for the worse, it is up to the "Other Guys", Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz, in a typical odd-couple set-up. Allen, the quiet and reasonable (and ridiculous like only Ferrell can be) cop who drives a Prius, and Terry, the ex-detective who is convinced everything leads to drugs, are pretty damn funny as the movie's main characters. Ferrell, as always, delivers what can only be ad-libbedly hilarious dialogue (more notable in my memory is a certain Irish folk song he sings in a bar) and basically carries the movie in a way similar to that of his lesser films, like Semi-Pro (2008) or Kicking and Screaming (2005). unfortunately, Ferrell's one-liners have a tendency to outshine any type of rehearsed dialogue that the rest of the cast seems to be going on. However, Wahlberg (and a lot of the other more minore characters) are not to be slighted. While Ferrell has a lot of the one-liners, Wahlberg's ignorance at how to become heroes can be downright funny, and he really puts in a job well done as an actor who doesn't normally play comedic roles. Overall, the film had me chuckling at the characters' horrible interaction and their countless mishaps, but nothing really stood out and the overall plot dragged a little. Despite car chases and such, my attention span wained a little towards the end. Though I remember a lot of the hilarious one-liners, the plot was mapped out among so many jokes it was a little hard to pick up on, but this movie is mostly fun anyway. And if you don't understand the plot, wait until the credits. I would recommend this movie to any Will Ferrell fan, but if you only go to the movies three times a year, I'd save this one on your Netflix queue. (Also look for outstanding bit parts played by Michael Keaton as the police captain and Eva Mendes as Ferrell's wife!)

Knight and Day

While it seems silly and obscure to be writing my first movie critique on a blog and on top of that to have the movie be Knight and Day (2010), you must think I'm silly. Well, kids, this might be true, but you gotta start somewhere right? So here goes nothin'.

To have an action movie that doubles as a romantic comedy is hard to do. Mr and Mrs Smith (2005) was one of the few current successes (and I should say attempts too, since not that many are even attempted). That being said, I wouldn't walk into this movie with high expectations. The plot revolves around Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) protecting June (Cameron Diaz) from these crazy people who want to steal the "Zephyr", a continuous power source about the size of a battery (go figure it's portable). Well, Cameron Diaz is definitely starting to look her age, but is likable enough as the ditzy mechanic although there were a fair few moments when i wanted to jump into the movie and tell her to stop being so stupid. She does redeem herself in the end though as a true badass. Tom Cruise is a nice surprise though! After steering away from him after reading too many articles in People magazine, I've got to say the old boy's still got it. Flashy smile and blue eyes may have a lot to do with that...but his comedic timing is pretty good! Though if you're anything like me or my mom you'll be wondering through a good half of the movie why he's trying to protect such a dumb-ass. Hilarious cameos by Paul Dano as the funny and geeky Simon Feck and Marc Blucas as the mustached firefighter Rodney.

PS I can't really figure out why the heck they picked that title. It literally had nothing to do with the movie.