The Other Guys

Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Keaton
Directed by: Adam McKay (“Step Brothers”)
Written by: Adam McKay (“Step Brothers”) and Chris Henchy (“Land of the Lost”)
 
While it’s not as dismal as the Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis vehicle “Cop Out” from earlier this year, the convoluted plot and countless misfires and clichés in “The Other Guys” definitely make for a subpar ride-a-long in the buddy-cop action sub-genre. A better name for it might’ve been “Policing for Schmucks.”

In “The Other Guys,” Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg star as a pair of NYPD cops whose embarrassing reputation among their fellow officers precedes them both. Allen Gamble (Ferrell), who has been transferred from accounting, would rather spend his time on the force sitting at a desk doing paperwork than be out in the field. His partner Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg), who was involved in an accidental shooting of a beloved sports star, is itching for a big case and is tired of watching the department’s hot shot cops (played by Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson) get all the glory for their death-defying car chases and shoot outs.

It’s when Allen and Terry finally get the chance to prove they can handle a high-profile case (Steve Coogan plays a shady investment banker involved in a white-collar crime) when the film decelerates and lets Ferrell and Wahlberg riff off each other without much direction or substance to their ranting and raving.

Jokes include making fun of Allen for driving a Prius, arguing about what music they should listen to on the radio, a smut-talking old lady, and a scene where Allen has to talk down a suicidal man from a ledge with no formal training. It’s all be done before and done a lot funnier. When the jokes start repeating themselves (on more than one occasion Terry compares himself to an eager-to-fly peacock), it is evident “The Other Guys” has run out of things to say and do.

The only running joke that is fairly humorous is when Allen introduces Terry to his drop-dead gorgeous wife Sheila (Eva Mendes) and proceeds to underrate just how attractive she is. Terry wonders how a woman like Shelia could be interested in a man as maniacal and irksome as Allen.

Thin on character and hilarious moments and overwritten on plot, “The Other Guys” will probably please the biggest of Ferrell’s fans, but these are the same moviegoers that were rolling in the aisles for “Land of the Lost,” “Semi-Pro,” and “Blades of Glory.” Others who like him in smaller, more controlled doses just might need to take a pass on this one.

Land of the Lost

Starring: Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny McBride
Directed by: Brad Silberling (“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”)
Written by: Chris Henchy (debut) and Dennis McNicholas (“The Ladies Man”)

There’s so much improvisation in the new adventure film “Land of the Lost,” one could honestly wonder why screenwriters were even paid to churn out a script. Actors Will Ferrell and Danny McBride riff off each other so poorly and so many of the jokes fall embarrassingly flat, it’s implausible to think either of these two comedians actually thought any of what they were saying on the set was remotely humorous.

In the remake of the short-lived early-90s TV series of the same name, Ferrell plays Dr. Rick Marshall, a “quantum paleontologist” who is ridiculed from the science world after he announces he has found a way into parallel dimensions using “tachyons,” subatomic particles that move backwards and allow people to travel to a time where the past, present, and future co-exist.

Along with Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel), an inspired Cambridge researcher, and Will Stanton (Danny McBride), a backwoods tour guide and shopkeeper, the trio is sucked into a time portal by the doctor’s invention – known as the Tachyon amplifier – and dropped into a world where dinosaurs are running through deserts littered with famous landmarks and Hummer limos.

There they meet a primate named Cha-Ka (Jorma Taccone), who can somehow communicate with Holly, and a killer T-Rex, who is basically in the movie to roar and run after the explorers, which is not necessarily a bad thing if it stops Ferrell from blurting out lines like, “Captain Kirk’s nipples!”

Besides the tired computer-generated dino (phlegm spewing included) and some costumed-monsters that are about as interesting as something pulled straight from a “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” episode, most of the film relies on Ferrell and McBride doing their thing. This includes singing show tunes and Cher songs, incorporating parodies of beer commercials into their skits, and performing the usual bodily-fluid humor.

It’s all very cheesy like the original show and none of it needs to be taken as serious entertainment since it all so very uncreative. Tacky and lowbrow humor is fine, but in “The Land of the Lost,” it’s simplified to its dullest form. It would get a slight pass for its stupidity if it wasn’t for Ferrell and McBride looking like they’d rather be anywhere else except earning a paycheck for what is sure to be one of the worst films of the year.

Step Brothers

Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen
Directed by: Adam McKay (“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy”)
Written by: Adam McKay (“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”) and Will Ferrell (“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”)

They’ve only been in two movies together, but watching Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in their new film “Step Brothers” will make you wonder if they were created in the same agar-filled Petri dish or once connected at the hip.

It’s not only the fact that they have the same dollish, curly hair or that they both look like identical geeks in argyle sweaters on the movie poster. Ferrell and Reilly have the same offbeat comedic timing and when put together makes for one eccentric metronome of humor.

In “Step Brothers,” 30-something-year-old Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) is not too thrilled when his mother (Mary Steenburgen) falls in love with Dr. Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins) and decides to marry and move in with him and his 30-something-year-old son Dale (John C. Reilly).

The boys, er, men quickly butt heads as they invade each other’s personal space. Basically, they hate each other from the get-go. Not only is their respect parent stealing the other away from them, both their mother and father are beginning to recognize that if they don’t make Brennan and Dale grow up, get jobs, and move out, they are going to be stuck with them for the rest of their lives.

Although the sibling rivalry/blood feud lasts for a good portion of the film (there are some great one-liners like, “I’m Dale, but you have to call me dragon” and “It’s like masturbating in a time machine”), the boys find out they have more in common then they first thought. Similarities in their personality take shape when both realize they share the same dislike for Brennan’s younger, douchebag-of-a-brother Derek (Adam Scott), whose seemingly perfect life is actually quite creepy.

While Ferrell and Reilly manage to keep the laughs coming for the first half of the film, Ferrell as a screenwriter once again proves that he can’t stop a joke from going on too long before it loses steam. At points, Ferrell’s humor is like the awkward silence or poorly extended scenes during parts of “The Family Guy.” You know there is a great comedic moment buried somewhere in the clutter, but its layers are far too thick to claw out.

“Step Brothers” is as juvenile as a film can get, even more so since the juveniles here are played by grown men. Once you get past all the horseplay and back to the short and offensive dialogue, there is some fun to be had with Ferrell and Reilly rampaging through the film like a fat kid through a candy store.

Will Ferrell – Semi-Pro

Actor and comedian Will Ferrell has laced up his high-tops and grown out an afro to star in the new sports comedy “Semi-Pro.” While promoting the film in Austin, Texas, he sat down with me to talk basketball, catch-phrases and how he really feels about stripping down to his birthday suit for some of his movies.

It’s obvious from watching a few of your other films that you’re confident with your body, but did you have any reservations about wearing those super short basketball shorts and showing off your junk in “Semi-Pro?”

Uh, first of all, it’s not junk. It’s sculpted testicles. No, not really. I don’t really have a lot of vanity issues for the most part. I have some. I have more than you think in a way. But if it’s for a movie and it seems funny, then I don’t really care.

Of course, you’re known for your comedy, but you’ve also had some success in the dramatic field with films like “Stranger than Fiction.” Is that genre something you would like to revisit in the future?

I would love to do more of that, but like everything else you get put in a certain category and those types of scripts really aren’t piling in, which is fine. It’s not a crusade of mine, but at the same time I really enjoy those types of movies and would like to do more.

What was it like to work with Woody Harrelson for the first time?

He’s awesome. He’s such a cool guy. He was like the only guy we wanted for that part because we really did have to get someone that could play basketball. We literally read the scenes and then went out and dribbled the ball around in the parking lot. We wanted all the basketball to look as real as possible. But I love Woody. He loves this movie and it’s so cool that he’s a friend now.

What kind of basketball player are you in real life?

Um… well, I’m probably one of the best celebrity basketball players…in the world, even though I was not invited to the celebrity NBA All-Star game. No, I’m okay. I played a lot in high school and I still play pick-up ball here and there. It’s probably the sport I play the most. To get to do a basketball comedy is a dream come true. The only bummer about it is that it’s set in the ’70s and having to run around in those old shoes. Shoes are so much better now.

What’s next for funnyordie.com? (If you haven’t seen “The Landlord,” YouTube it now).

We’ve been doing this funnyordie comedy tour. It was an opportunity to promote the movie and the Web site and give three comics that are up-and-coming a lot of exposure. We’ve been filming and doing a lot of behind the scene stuff so, we’ll be putting it up on the Web site soon.

You’ve done films on figure skating, soccer, and NASCAR. Are these sports comedies coincidental or are you looking for these roles?

Completely coincidental. “Talladega Nights” was written with no plan to do any more sports movies. Then, I was sitting in Charlotte with my wife watching figure skating and she said, “Someone really needs to do a story on figure skating.” The next week, I got a call about “Blades of Glory.” Subsequently, the script was ready for “Semi-Pro” and they wanted it released around basketball season.

Do people shout catchphrases at you all the time? Which ones do you hear the most?

All the time. Uh, I hear, “Ma, more meatloaf.” I hear, “You’re my boy blue.” I hear, “Let’s go streaking!” I hear, “I wanna be on you,” “I’m kind of a big deal,” “Stay classy,” “Milk was a bad choice.” And then people will just yell at me, “Ricky Bobby! Hey, it’s Ricky Bobby!”

Do you have any NBA Championship predictions this year?

I was about to talk a big game about the Lakers, but now Kobe’s finger (is hurt). I still think the Spurs are the team to beat in the west and the Celtics in the east. That’s probably what it’s going to be. If that happens, it would be interesting to see because I think the Celtics could take them. But the Spurs are so calm, cool, and collected and have been through the Finals so many times they won’t get rattled.

Semi-Pro

Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin
Directed by: Kent Alterman (debut)
Written by: Scot Armstrong (“Old School”)

Unless you sleep, eat, drink, and dream Will Ferrell, “Semi-Pro” is one of his comedies you’d be better off letting slip through the cracks.

Sure, there will always be this unattractiveness about Ferrell that is just too darn charming to ignore, but as a basketball player from the ’70s, there not much to show off other than a few one-liners that revolve around things like afros, short shorts, and wrestling bears. There’s only so much you can take of Ferrell when he’s all over the place.

Starring in his fourth sports comedy (his others were “Kicking and Screaming,” “Talladega Nights,” and “Blades of Glory”), Ferrell dons a basketball jersey and speedos to play Jackie Moon, a player/coach/owner/promoter for the fictional Flint Tropics. The Tropics are the team dead last in the now defunct ABA league of the late 60’s and early 70’s. (Jackie’s fame came when he recorded a disco hit called “Love Me Sexy” and used the money to purchase the team).

In real sports history, the ABA merged four teams with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to create what we now know today as the official professional basketball league. This is where “Semi-Pro” steps in to add a little aqua blue and orange to the mix. Because not all the teams of the ABA will be absorbed by the NBA, Moon must lead the Tropics to earn at least a fourth place ranking so they can be chosen to continue their B-ball careers.

It’s starts with the injection of aging basketball legend Ed Monnix (Wood Harrelson, who hasn’t played basketball on film since “White Men Can’t Jump”) into the Tropics’ sad sack of cliché misfits. The roster consists of no memorable characters, including actor/singer André Benjamin, who plays Clarence “Coffee” Black, the most talented ball player on the team.

Harrelson, who has proven he has the dark comedic chops in films like 1996’s “Kingpin” fails to produce anything other than a washed up sidekick role to Ferrell’s free-for-all. A secondary storyline between Monnix and his estranged ex-wife (played by Maura Tierney) crashes and burns from the onset with little material to work from.

Ferrell, who has been one of the more successful “Saturday Night Live” alum to make it into the film industry, has placed himself in one of those positions where it’s either hit or miss for what he has to offer the comedy genre. The fact that he is always more enjoyable in small doses (“Wedding Crashers”) should tell him something. Full-out barrages of nonsense may have worked in skits, but in feature films one can only take so much. In “Semi-Pro” Ferrell throws his fair share of temper  tantrums and, like when infants do the same, none of them are as cute or entertaining as they would like you to believe.