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The Other Guys: A Comedy That Takes No Prisoners

Lauren Bradshaw — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:30:56 PDT

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are both in somewhat uncharted territory in The Other Guys. Wahlberg isn't known for his comedic chops, and while Ferrell has been playing immature buffoons for years, he's surprisingly conservative here - well, at least in the beginning.

Ferrell plays Allen Gamble, a member of the NYPD who is perfectly content crunching numbers and filing paperwork (while happily humming to himself) than ever going out for duty. The loose cannon is his partner Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg). Unlike Allen, Terry loves to get in the thick of crime fighting - but unfortunately Terry has been relegated to staying at his desk after a shooting incident made him the joke of the force. To combat his embarrassment, Terry pokes fun at Allen (which he does often) and it's their banter that's sure to win over audiences. To find out what else makes the movie fun,

read more. The film opens with the NYPD's top duo (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson) as they run down a bunch of bad guys on the streets of Manhattan. It's a total spoof of Hollywood's over-the-top action scenes, and Jackson and Johnson are casting perfection. However, when those guys get killed during a theft chase, the rest of the men in the force - including "the other guys," Allen and Terry - have the chance to step up. It's an opportunity that the anxious Terry has been waiting for, and one that Allen has been expressly trying to avoid. Ferrell and Wahlberg may be the leads of this film - and they play off each other well - but I'd say the biggest star is the script. There are so many hilarious one-liners that I wouldn't be surprised to see them sprout up on Facebook walls come Monday. The secondary players also deserve their due: Michael Keaton gets several laughs as a police chief and Bed Bath & Beyond manager who likes to quote TLC, while Eva Mendes turns her role as Will Ferrell's spouse into more than just "hot wife." Yes, the film plays up her looks to the umpteenth degree, but she gets to have some fun too. My one complaint: the plot feels a little jumbled. But so what? This film is meant to be a silly, entertaining Summer comedy. And in that respect, The Other Guys are winners.

If you'd like to review a movie you've seen recently, check out the Movie Reviews Group in the BuzzSugar Community. I may even feature your critique on the site! Photos courtesy Sony Pictures

Movie Preview: What Goes Up

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:30:54 PDT

The cast for What Goes Up is pretty great: Steve Coogan, Molly Shannon, Olivia Thirlby, Josh Peck, Hilary Duff and more (oooh, I love seeing Thirlby and Peck on screen together again after starring in The Wackness). It's hard to decipher what exactly is going on in the trailer (there are nerdy students, there seems to be a death) so I'll leave it to the movie's website to sum up the plot:

It is 1986. An emotionally damaged New York reporter is sent to cover the hometown hoopla for a local hero. But rather than pursue his assignment, which leaves him cold, he follows a group of disaffected students, whose own hero - their beloved, unconventional teacher - has just died under a cloud of scandal. Their passionate and, at times, ludicrous expressions of grief attract the reporter.

Interestingly, this is the kind of independent movie you'd expect to see at the larger film festivals, given the names in its ensemble cast, but it didn't, which is a thing that makes me go "hmm." The movie hits theaters in limited release May 29. To watch the trailer for yourself,

On A Day of Highs and Lows, Sundances On

Molly — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:28:31 PST

While the afternoon took a noticeably somber turn as the news of Heath Ledger's tragic death spread over snowy Park City, the morning was for celebrating as Oscar nomination news came to Sundance. While a lot of the celebrities left with the end of MLK day weekend, there was still swag to be scored for some of them. I was lucky enough to stop by the Pure & Natural Celebrity Eco-Retreat and Iconix "Gift Giving For A Cause" Suite benefiting Save the Children to see all the goodies the celebrities have been snatching up as souvenirs. I also ducked into the Wireimage portrait studio thanks to our friends over there and while I didn't get any big celebrity sightings, I was right on the trail of so many of them who have stopped through to pose.

Mischa and Audrina were definitely enjoying the goodies while Diddy was more about pimping his vodka than taking home free stuff. Luke Wilson was looking scruffy, but hopefully his movie luck has turned since BuzzSugar had only good things to say about his movie at the festival, Henry Poole is Here. I'm headed home to slightly warmer SF tonight, but there's a lot more Sundance to come!

To see a lot more celebrities all over Sundance including Adrian Grenier, Josh Lucas, Rex Lee, Maria Bello, John Legend, Alan Alda, Virginia Madsen and many others just read more

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Images include: Felicity Huffman, William H Macy, Matthew Perry, Adrian Grenier, Diddy, Rex Lee, Maria Bello, John Legend, Danny Glover, Alan Alda, David Arquette, Audrina Patridge, Virginia Madsen, Matthew Broderick, Giada De Laurentiis, Dennis Quaid, Kimberly Buffington, Colin Firth, Livia Giuggioli, Thomas Haden Church, Josh Lucas, Jodie Foster, Morgan Spurlock, Luke Wilson, Dave Annable, Elisabeth Shue, Steve Coogan, Shar Jackson, Jason Ritter, Andie MacDowell, Dennis Hopper, Damian Lewis, Elsa Pataky, Josh Groban, Lauren Graham, Radha Mitchell, Scott Wolf, Zuleikha Robinson, Eliza Dushku, Lil Jon, Mischa Barton, Maria Bello Source

Hamlet 2: The Teen Comedy

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:30:00 PDT

Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't.
Variety brings us news of a little something called Hamlet 2 (yes, as in a sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet), a film starring Steve Coogan and Catherine Keener. The project will be the first produced by Eric Eisner's (son of former Disney chief Michael Eisner) production company L+E.

What's the deal?
The movie is a high school comedy focusing on "a teacher who tries to save his drama department by writing a sequel to William Shakespeare's Hamlet." One of the co-writers is Pam Brady, who has written all sorts of funny (or at least half-funny) stuff like the "South Park" movie, Team America, and Hot Rod.

Could be cool.
As Cinematical points out, the teen romp 10 Things I Hate About You is based on another Shakespearean work (and if you can name the title you can win points!), and that's a fun movie. Maybe this will be hilarious and just as fun.

Now the question is, what's next? What Shakespearean will be fodder for another teen flick?

Sugar Bits - Princess Diana Is Honored Ten Years Later

PopSugar — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:02:21 PDT

The Princes of Wales organized a memorial service held in Buckingham Palace today to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of their mother, Princess Diana. We're happy to see that her life is still celebrated by her friends and family. - People
Lil' Kim got pulled over in NYC last night in her Lamborghini with no driver's license and no license plates. We may never understand why celebrities don't just get chauffeurs. - TMZ
A man has pled guilty to his plot to extort $1 million from Tom Cruise for stolen photographs of his wedding to Katie Holmes. Trying to blackmail a celebrity usually isn't a very good idea. - MSNBC
Despite accusations brought up by Courtney Love, Steve Coogan is denying that he had anything to do with Owen Wilson's suicide attempt. It sounds like Courtney and Steve have some issues of their own to work out. - Page Six

Source

Our Idiot Brother: A Family Gathering You Don't Have to Dread

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Sometimes the best comedy comes from the most relatable subjects, and Our Idiot Brother mines a rich source: family. Paul Rudd stars as the titular brother, Ned, a Bohemian free spirit who gets arrested in an unfortunate setup. When he's released months later, he finds himself jobless, dumped by his farmer girlfriend (Kathryn Hahn), and in need of a place to stay. Luckily, he has a lot of family in the area, including his three sisters: Nat (Zooey Deschanel), Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), and Liz (Emily Mortimer).

Although Ned is the family member who seems to have the messiest situation, his sisters' lives are all in precarious positions too. Nat is in a committed relationship with Cindy (Rashida Jones) but prone to cheating, icy Miranda is making poor career choices and missing out on a relationship with her neighbor (Adam Scott), and Liz is oblivious to the fact that her husband (Steve Coogan) is a jerk with a wandering eye. As Ned moves from each of their places (or rather, is kicked out of each place) and into the next, he brings to light all of their problems and bears the blame. His journey is a wacky one that's sometimes awkward and frustrating, but it has as much as heart as its put-upon protagonist. To find out why I enjoyed Our Idiot Brother, just

read more. The spot-on casting of Rudd as Ned gives the film its funny backbone. The actor makes Ned not just likable, but lovable, because he's got a childlike outlook, good intentions, and a healthy does of naiveté. Unfortunately, there are times when the film takes its idiot badge too far and makes Ned unrealistically stupid. The first offense that gets him arrested is a clear case of entrapment, and it's one thing when Ned doesn't protest, but it's hard to believe that a grown man can't put some of the movie's most obvious situations together. The other frustrating aspect of the movie is how unsympathetic Ned's sisters are toward him, but it works for the story. Their lives tumble downhill in Ned's presence, so he becomes their scapegoat, but Ned is too good-natured to mount his own defense. Anyone who's been in the crossfire of sibling drama will get a familiar chuckle from the family warring with each other. In these combative scenes, the supporting cast shines, particularly Banks, whose Miranda is both chilly and clever. The smaller characters also provide some big laughs, like T.J. Miller as the overly accommodating new boyfriend of Ned's ex, or Coogan baring all in the name of comedy. The strong ensemble impresses through a realistic portrayal of how a family can overcome obstacles together (even with a black sheep in the mix). If this is what happens when you have an idiot brother, then I wouldn't mind having Ned as mine.

Sundance Snapshot: My Idiot Brother

Becky Kirsch — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:15:00 PST

I've been excited about My Idiot Brother pretty much since the full cast was announced back in June, so catching the film's premiere at Sundance this weekend was a huge treat. The movie follows Paul Rudd as an unflappable optimist whose devotion to honesty gets him into one sticky situation after another, particularly when he starts couch hopping between his three sisters. Though I had already mentally set the bar pretty high, I was pleased to find a comedy that's smart, fresh, and often very funny. (Apparently I wasn't the only one: the film was snatched up by the Weinstein Company just hours after the premiere.)

Who's behind it? Director Jesse Peretz has compiled a dream cast of characters headlined by Paul Rudd and including Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, Steve Coogan, and Adam Scott.
What's it about? Rudd plays Ned, a free-spirited farmer (read: crunchy hippie), whose positive attitude and unyielding faith in the people around him often gets in the way of his sense of judgment. Ned is arrested for selling marijuana to a police officer (who claimed he was having a bad week and in need of a pick-me-up), and is released from prison eight months later. When his girlfriend kicks him off their farm, Ned is shuttled around between his mother and three sisters where he unintentionally meddles in each of their own busy lives and personal issues.

For my thoughts on the film, just keep reading.