Movie Moment: The Other Guys

If you like explosions, gunshots, car chases, and Will Ferrell's comic genius for awkward social situations, then you'll like The Other Guys. I picked up the DVD for the bf a couple of days before Christmas because he kept trying to rent it On Demand without success. (I almost blew my cover when he announced that he wanted to try again on Christmas Eve Eve by erupting into helpless giggles, insisting that I'd rather watch a rerun of "The Big Bang Theory.") Anyway, the movie is about two NYPD cops stuck behind the desk. Well, at least Terry (Mark Wahlberg) feels as though he's stuck. Hungry for glory and the chance to "fly like a peacock," he convinces mild-mannered ex-accountant Allen to join him in his quest for greatness. Although initially reluctant, Allen ends up agreeing to the mission, and the two of them climb into Allen's red Prius, which boasts a CD player preloaded with a half dozen Little River Band CDs, much to Terry's disgust. A textbook nerd, Allen makes one annoying observation after another in true Ferrell fashion, prompting Terry to repeatedly lash out that he hates him. Yet just when it seems that the team's odd couple ways will be their undoing, they stumble upon a huge case involving big business, the details of which aren't important. (Hey, we all know these crazy plots are just a vehicle for character development, screwball antics, and good guy-saves-the-day denouements.) The discovery forces them to get along and reinforces their desire to prove themselves to their boss, a TLC-lyrics-spouting-police-captain-slash-Bed-Bath-&-Beyond-manager played by Michael Keaton. Ferrell predictably steals the show, misunderstanding all of Wahlberg's orders and giving way to hilarious scenarios. Perhaps one of the funniest (and most disturbing) parts is when Allen reveals that he was a pimp back in college. Only, he doesn't realize that that's what he was, relaying the incident detail by naïve detail to Terry's horror while a song entitled "Pimps Don't Cry" wails in the background. That's not to say that Wahlberg doesn't have his own shining comic moments. His character becomes a little more complex when we learn that this hard-boiled cop has an artsy-fartsy ex-girlfriend for whom he still carries a torch. As Terry tries to win her back, he unveils unlikely talents for ballet dancing and art interpretation, all the while defending his tough-guy image by claiming that he honed the skills so he could make fun of the nerds on his block growing up.

In the end, Allen and Terry rush in to save the day in classic style, earning the respect they so desperately crave. Is it a little cheesy and predictable? Well, yes. Is it a little raunchy in parts? Again, guilty. But I think I speak for lots of viewers when I say that we'd be disappointed if it were anything but. The Other Guys is a nice diversion punctuated by stretches of subtle humor. I can honestly say I'm glad I made that last mad dash to buy it.

Movie Moment: Dinner for Schmucks

I thought it was high time I provided my readers with some borrowed visuals when appropriate. If only to add photographs other than my own to the mix.

All summer long, I've been waiting for the movies. For the blockbusters and comedies that give summer its excitement and sparkle. But after Sex and the City 2 came out in May, June melted into July with nary a prospect, and I resigned myself to the sad truth that there would be nothing to see.

And then came August. Instead of winding down with a cold buffet of B offerings, summer finally came into its own, unleashing a smorgasbord of possibility in Dinner for Schmucks (I know it came out at the tail end of July, but for the purposes of my argument, that works too); The Other Guys; Scott Pilgrim vs. the World; Eat, Pray, Love; The Switch; and Going The Distance. Now, I know you must be thinking, "What?! These are the movies for which you've been waiting?" I know, I know. Most of them aren't stellar, in and of themselves. But together they present a united front of much-needed, light-hearted summer fare, offering choices where none existed before. I'm someone who likes to go to the movies. A lot. And quite frankly, I don't expect to have a religious experience each time. I'm just looking to be entertained. I want comedies (and sometimes dramas), and lots of them, even if they turn out to be merely lukewarm.

So, last night I decided that the bf and I should venture out and see one of these contenders. I was torn between Dinner for Schmucks and The Other Guys (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was out because I knew the bf wouldn't want to see it, not sharing my appreciation for Michael Cera.). They were two comedies that may or may not be funny. On the one hand, you had Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, and Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and the promise of all the color and noise and hilarity that comes with a plot based around a dinner party. On the other hand, you had Will Ferrell (and Mark Wahlberg, but he hardly counts as an asset. Nothing against him, but he's just no Will Ferrell, you know?). Now, Will Ferrell's genius is such that it trumps the characteristic dreariness of the cop movie. So, I was clearly feeling the pull. But despite my emotional tug-of-war, I decided to go with Dinner for Schmucks. The appeal of the weird factor was too strong to resist, as was Paul Rudd.

So, how was it? A little slow at first. And definitely weird. It also had a faintly European flavor, which was probably owing to the fact that it was based on the 1998 French film Le Diner de Cons (or to us, The Dinner Game). It became more farcical and dramatic as it built to its (admittedly predictable) conclusion. Steve Carell stole the show as Barry, an IRS agent who creates diorama "mouseterpieces" featuring dead mice in elaborate settings such as the Last Supper, Orville and Wilbur Wright's first flight, and an extravagant picnic starring little girl mice in red wigs emulating his ex-wife. Barry is the well-meaning moron who wreaks havoc every time he tries to "help," the ultimate schmuck who is destined to take first prize at Tim's (Rudd's) boss's competition dinner for idiots. Yet despite his annoying personality and fondness for dead rodents, I must admit that I was genuinely charmed by Barry and his mouseterpieces. Call it the artist in me, but anyone who would devote so much time, detail, and love to such an off-putting craft couldn't help but emerge as endearing. Jemaine Clement's role as an out-there, oversexed artist was interesting too, although in a creepy and decidedly not endearing way. It was strange seeing him with long hair, no glasses, and a tan - not to mention actually getting chicks -- when I've known him as only the hapless nerdy musician on Conchords. Speaking of which, the Conchords's friendly stalker, Mel (Kristen Schaal), also made an appearance as Tim's quirky secretary (she is just as odd as she is in Conchords and wears some fabulously kitschy pins).

Overall, Dinner for Schmucks wasn't laugh-out-loud funny. But it was fun to watch, and to this comedy-starved moviegoer, well worth the trip.