The Other Guys really shows up.

From the movie trailers and tv spots, you wouldn't really think of The Other Guys a direct parody of buddy cop movies at first glance. However, after the opening scene you can see that it, in fact, is such a parody. While not overly done as say "Scary Movie" or the upcoming film "Vampires Suck", this film is a parody in its finest form, and done brilliantly.

Our story focuses on Gamble (Will Ferrel) a police accountant turned detective, and Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) a laughing stock of the NYPD. When the top dog detectives are gone (fantastic cameos from Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) someone's got to fill their shoes. Gamble and Hoitz compete against a rival duo (played by Damon Wayans Jr. and Rob Riggle [one of the cops in "The Hangover]) to become the next big team. After Gamble inspects what seems to be a very miniscule case, turns into a much bigger problem (as you could probably imagine).

While the plot, as in most movies lately, was fairly shallow, it's very evident that it's not what this movie is about. Slapstick comedy, sattire, and blatant parody fuel this flick, and it works. Will Ferrel has perfected the art of playing the man-child, and it works very well here. Some great performances by supporting actors, such as police chief Michael Keaton and Mrs. Gamble Eva Mendez while a short cameo from Derek Jeter as himself, fill out a very well-rounded movie with a lot of laughs.

All in all, in a summer that is seemingly short of laughs, "The Other Guys" fit the bill.

THE RATINGS

Based on: Nothing directly, but a parody of just about every buddy-cop movie ever made.

Plot: 4/10. The same basic plot as just about every other movie of it's kind out there, and the ending just wasn't that fantastic. It seemed to come out of nowhere, with nothing set up or eluded to, but by the time it comes, you don't honestly care so not a big falling point in my opinion.

Acting: 7.5/10 Will Ferrel, as mentioned earlier, has perfected the role of man-child. Marc Wahlberg did a decent job of playing a loser cop trying to act tough. Michael Keaton was very funny in his role, as was Eva Mendez. The cameos by Sam L. and The Rock were stellar. Overall, good performances from all.

Comedy: 8/10. I was laughing more often than not, with everyone providing at least one good laugh throughout the movie (unlike other comedies that have only 1 or 2 great comedic performances).

Overall: 8/10. If I was coming into this movie looking for a fantastic storyline the rating would be far lower, but thankfully I wasn't and you shouldn't either, because you will have a good time if you don't.