Taglines: When the cops are busy… Our only hope is…
NYPD Detectives Christopher Danson and P.K. Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) are the baddest and most beloved cops in New York City. They don’t get tattoos – other men get tattoos of them. Two desks over and one back, sit Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg).
You’ve seen them in the background of photos of Danson and Highsmith, out of focus and eyes closed. They’re not heroes – they’re “the Other Guys. But every cop has his or her day and soon Gamble and Hoitz stumble into a seemingly innocuous case no other detective wants to touch that could turn into New York City’s biggest crime. It’s the opportunity of their lives, but do these guys have the right stuff?
The Other Guys is an action comedy film directed and co-written by Adam McKay, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and featuring Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson.
This film is the fourth of five collaborations between Ferrell and McKay, following Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Step Brothers (2008), and followed by Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). The Other Guys is the only one not to be co-written by Ferrell. The film premiered on August 2, 2010, receiving positive critical reviews and was a moderate box office success by grossing over $170 million.
Not every cop can be a hero. It takes all kinds to fill a police force – you got your superstars, the guys who get the medals, your hot shots, glory boys, vets – and then… there are the other guys. Guys like Detectives Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz.
“Gamble and Hoitz are not necessarily what you think of when you think of the heroes of buddy cop movies, says Will Ferrell, who stars opposite Mark Wahlberg in The Other Guys, an action comedy about the cops who never make the headlines. “Gamble is a forensic accountant, a desk cop, the guy who never leaves the office, who’s very much into his paperwork. Hoitz is more of the streetwise guy who’s jonesing to get out there and make a name for himself.
“My character is obsessed with what he thinks is real crime: drug dealers, vice, murderers, and anything that’s going on in the street, says Wahlberg. “Will’s character’s whole attitude and approach to police work is paperwork. That’s all it basically comes down to – paperwork and white collar crime. But I’m stuck with him because of a mistake that I made.
Mark Wahlberg, the Academy Award-nominated actor known for his tough-guy action movie roles, in a comedy opposite Will Ferrell? It’s the fulfillment of a desire on both their parts. “I’ve been looking to do a comedy for a long time, says Wahlberg. “I just wanted to make sure I was in the right hands. There were comedic elements to certain performances that I’ve done, but to do a full-blown comedy I wanted to make sure I was protected and who better to work with than the funniest guys in movies in my opinion, Will and Adam. They invited me to dinner and said they wanted to do a movie. I was like, ‘You got to be kidding me.’ I said, ‘I’ll do whatever you want.’
Ferrell added, “We – Adam McKay and I – are such big fans of Mark’s. We always thought he would be great in a comedy, playing a character that maybe is similar in some ways to the role he had in The Departed, but to utilize that intensity he has and play it for laughs.
“Literally, around one in the morning that night after that first dinner, Adam sent out an e-mail describing a cop movie where Will is the guy who wants to do desk work and the opportunity arises for him to step up, says co-writer Chris Henchy. “From that, we started talking about it and danced around the idea and went in and pitched it.
“Adam and Chris went to work writing the script, and then, eight or ten weeks later, they got it to me, says Wahlberg. “I couldn’t believe it. It was perfect – they wrote an amazing role for me where I just got to go crazy.
Strangely enough, the comedic outline of the plot would be inspired by the current headlines – and Will’s character, though outrageously silly, is a new kind of cop and perhaps the future of law enforcement. “We like the idea of Will as a policeman, always on his computer, loving paperwork. He solves crimes from his desk, with a computer, Henchy continues. “That’s how you catch the Bernie Madoffs of the world – it’s not hitting the streets, it’s following the paper trail.
“Allen Gamble is a guy who loves – he actually relishes – paperwork, says Ferrell. “Working on the computer and organization are police work for him. He’s an earnest, sweetheart type – a guy who plays it very close to the vest, a buttoned-down type of guy who shows up right on time for work and stays to the very last minute.
The comic potential was redoubled by pairing that character with Wahlberg’s Terry Hoitz. Frustrated by his bad fortune and the abuse he endures from his cop colleagues, Terry is desperate to redeem himself. “He’s your classic, iconic city cop. He thinks he’s street smart and wants to go out, bust some heads, fire his weapon, and kick ass, says Wahlberg. “He stampedes his way through everybody and everything. That’s their relationship – a guy who wants to stay at his desk and a guy who wants to be a peacock.
Ferrell says that working with an actor like Wahlberg afforded the filmmakers the opportunity to work the comedy in a way that emphasizes his strengths. “Sometimes the comedy is conversational, and other times, it’s broad and crazy and out of control. Adam and I always feel like the best comedy is played straight – as real as possible. In fact, this might be the most real movie we’ve done tonally, which makes the situations that Allen and Terry get into so much funnier.
Wahlberg describes the pure pleasure and problems keeping professional while working with Ferrell. “The biggest concern for me was just looking at Will’s face, says Wahlberg. “He’s just so funny that every once in a while I’d burst out laughing. Finally I’d look just to the left of him or just to the right of him and still appear as if I’m looking at him and reacting to what he’s doing, just to keep from laughing.
Ferrell adds, “It’s so funny to get to know someone like Mark, who has this reputation as a tough guy. He’s actually a sweetheart and was dying to kind of do comedy like this. He wasn’t thrown by anything.
“Mark is not only a great actor. He’s also a family man and also the guy who could kick anyone’s ass in the room, but also a jovial, lighthearted guy who in no way wants to kick anyone’s ass, says McKay. “It was very interesting watching him interact with Will, who, of course, is famous for his insane temper and grotesque ego.
The Other Guys (2010)
Directed by: Adam McKay
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Lindsay Sloane, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Ray Stevenson, Andrew Secunda, Michael Keaton, Joshua Church, Roy T. Anderson
Screenplay by: Chris Henchy, Adam McKay
Production Design by: Clayton Hartley
Cinematography by: Oliver Wood
Film Editing by: Brent White
Costume Design by: Carol Ramsey
Set Decoration by: George DeTitta Jr.
Art Direction by: Jim Gloster
Music by: Jon Brion
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some drug material, violence, language, crude and sexual content.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: August 6, 2010
