Entertainment : The ‘Other Guys’ is OK, but only if seen as a parody

I love parody.

It’s too bad hardly anyone not named Tina Fey knows how to do it correctly anymore.

A parody makes fun of something real, by satirically (and hopefully comically) imitating it.

Good parody is hard to do, and rare.

The most recent example of a superb parody is Tina Fey’s imitation of Sarah Palin. The television comic looked, acted, dressed and talked just like the vice-president nominee. It was funny, and it showed the Palin’s weaknesses in a way that was easy to see and remember.

That is what parody is supposed to do.

“The Other Guys,” the cop movie that opened at the Palace Friday night, tries to be a parody. It tries to make fun of cop movies by masquerading as a cop movie.

But for parody to be powerful, it has to be specific. There is no specific target in “Other Guys,” and that lack of precision makes the attempt at parody pointless.

After sitting through the two-hour movie, and spending a long time trying to figure out what on earth the movies director and producers were thinking when they made this film, I think I get it.

The point of “The Other Guys” was to point out that most modern cop movies are – in a word – lame. They are predictable stories featuring vulgar tough guys, unoriginal chase scenes, a beautiful woman or two, and a bad guy who either gets caught or blown to pieces at the end.

What’s unusual about this movie is that for a parody, it uses a cast normally reserved for serious films. Some of many movie goers’ favorite stars appear in it: Michael Keaton (one of my favourites). Mark Wahlberg. Will Ferrel. Samuel L. Jackson. The Rock (Dwayne Johnson). Eva Mendes. Brooke Shields. Even Derek Jeter appears briefly. (The cast also includes Ferrel’s brother Patrick, who it seems, only gets small roles, and only in Will Ferrel movies such as “Elf.”)

And yet, with all of this talent and comic potential, “The Other Guys,” to me, was – in a word – lame. It is a predictable story featuring vulgar tough guys, unoriginal chase scenes, a beautiful woman or two, and a bad guy who either gets caught or blown to pieces ( I won’t ruin the surprise any more than that) at the end.

In other words, the movie was, to me, just like the cop films it tried to parody.

There were some funny parts. I particularly liked the use of a Toyota Prius to take on SUVs and full-sized vans, and the attempt to down a military attack helicopter with gulf balls.

But overall, the movie was a disappointment. The humor was mostly sophomoric, which may have appealed to some male members of a high school audience. But on Friday, all the sophomores were at the football game.

Later, though, as I thought it over, I came to the conclusion that the disappointment was no accident – it was written into the script. Director Adam McKay wanted us to leave the theater wishing that Hollywoodmade much better, much more original movies about law enforcement.

If that was his goal, he succeeded, at least with the part of the audience that occupied my seat.

The story:

Allen Gamble (Ferrel) and Terry Hoitz are desk jockeys on the NYPD. Gamble chose a job as a police department accountant because of the stability he perceived it would bring his life. Hoitz, however, a not-so-smart guy, is stuck at a desk because of a very unfortunate mistake he made at Yankee Stadium. He is looking to get away from the desk and back on the streets.

Tough guy cops P.K. High Smith (Jackson) and Christopher Dannson (Johnson) get all the glory as they work the streets, leaving the Gamble and Hoitz do to all of their paperwork.

But after the tough cops die in the line of duty, Gamble and Hoitz get their chance to show what the “the other guys” could do if only given a chance.

This being 2010, of course the crime of choice for movie script writers is financial crime. Gamble and Hoitz find some evidence of such a crime, but the suspect has connections with the city and the NYPD. Arresting him can only bring trouble.

Why you should go:

The Palace still makes the best popcorn in town, and there are lots of good articles yet to read among the magazines on the rack. (But for reading, you want to sit in the back four rows of the main level – the lighting is much better there.) Seeing “The Other Guys” may also help you more fully understand the sad state of cop movie making in Americain 2010.

What you should know before you go:

The movie’s PG-13 rating is well-deserved for all of its vulgar humor and crude sexual references. The violence is mostly of the comic variety (at least it tries to be funny).

My favorite part:

Realizing how much I miss a good book. I went home and let David Copperfield (no, not the illusionist; the Dickens character) make my angst disappear.