Why So Blu?

The Other Guys (Blu-ray Review)

Stop!  Freeze right there!  I want to play a game.  No, not like Jigsaw does in the Saw movies, but I want to play good cop, bad cop.  What?  You want to be the bad cop too?  How will that ever work out?  Well if you are talking about the Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg action-comedy film The Other Guys, I have a hunch that’s it’s going to work out to be a pretty ball-busting hilarious good ole’ time for you.    But that’s just me.  Let’s take a closer look and find out why.

Film  

The Columbia Pictures film co-stars Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Ray Stevenson, Steve Coogan, Rob Riggle and Damon Wayans Jr.  That’s a pretty decent cast, huh?   Heck, even Brooke Shields and Derek Jeter make a cameo in this one.  What more can a guy ask for?  Don’t answer that.  I initially went into this film with absolutely zero expectations so many months and much to my surprise, I laughed my a$$ off despite the films PG-13 rating.  Not too shabby!

So I have a question for everyone.  This one is for both the guys and the girls.  How does Eva Mendes seem to look more beautiful with every passing day?  I mean, usually stars start to show their age eventually, but Eva’s biology seems to be working in reverse.  I remember reading an article about a reporter interviewing the cast of The Other Guys at this year’s Comic-Con and how he could not take his eyes or thoughts off of Eva.  I can see why.  Maybe it’s a good thing I did not attend that press panel and that I sent my photographer instead.  Thanks Scott!  But fear not, there is a reason why I bring up her name here, again and again.  Other than her worldly beauty, she does play a pivotal role as Will Ferrell’s onscreen wife in the film.  The interaction between her, Ferrell and Wahlberg is gut busting.  I can’t tell you how funny all three of made the simple line of “Good night Gloria” sound.  You will just have to see it to believe.

So what’s it all about?  Well I’m not one to spoil anything, but it should come as no surprise that this is a buddy action-comedy film; much like Cop Out was earlier on this year.  Ferrell and Wahlberg play two dead beat cops, but when no one else will believe them or for that matter, even take them seriously, they have to put it all on the line to prove that there’s more than meets the eye about them and their ability to fight crime and corruption.  And in doing so, the comedic lines just flowed like the ketchup you can stop from oozing out of the Heinz 57 bottle even though it says it is a no drip spout.  Don’t you hate when that happens?  I would have to say that the brilliant comedic tone started off for me with one line in particular.  It was when Wahlberg expresses his anger towards Ferrell’s character.  I’m adlibbing here so bear with me.  Wahlberg says that if Ferrell’s character was a sea lion and that he was a lion, he would swim out into the middle of the ocean and eat him.  It’s Ferrell’s response that I was not ready for.  How the guy ever remembered all his lines is beyond me.  It was from this point on that I had near tears in my eyes in the theater over the slapstick comedy I was subjected to for the rest of the film’s runtime.

The Other Guys is not a perfect movie by any means.  It follows your typical Hollywood buddy cliché screenplay, but it’s the humor that saves it from being an utter dismal disappointment.  It’s certainly not the best film I have seen so far this year, but I truly do think it’s one of the funniest.  If it were not for the minor swear words, I would have no problem recommending this one as a family outing everyone can enjoy.  After all, if I laughed this hard at a rated PG-13 film and I’m 36 years old, imagine how much your teenagers will love it.  Oh wait, does this just mean that I’m getting old?  Oh no!

So I struggled with this one, but I ultimately awarded the film a score of 4.  I’m sure there will be people who argue with my decision here, but this movie really hits home for me.  Mark and Will’s characters are so similar to the relationship I share with my own office co-worker that I can’t help falling in love with this buddy film.  The Other Guys lands on Blu-ray in both an Unrated version and the original PG-13 rated version.  The difference in length between the two is a whopping nine-minutes, but honestly I would have to go back and compare the two versions to truly remember what the differences are between the two.  Regardless, whatever version you watch, I guarantee you will crack a smile during this feature.  Just when I thought Will Ferrell’s comedic future was becoming non-existent, I was pleasantly surprised here and I really can’t ask for anything more than that.  Now bring on Night at the Roxbury on Blu-ray, PLEASE!

Video  

The 1080p MPEG-4 AVC video transfer of The Other Guys on Blu-ray actually makes the film better.  Alright, maybe that’s not the case, but the superb video quality certainly doesn’t hurt matters.  For a comedy genre film, this Blu-ray transfer is exceptional.  Black levels are all deep, there is no noise in the image and best of all, colors and fleshtones are all normal/accurate throughout with no excessive contrast issues that seem to usually plague comedic Blu-ray releases.  Oh, and did I mention the impressive level of detail?  Yes!  The detail in the picture is also impeccable!  I was impressed to see the impressive levels of clarity in not only the background sets and of the characters, but also during the many explosions, chases and action scenes throughout.  You are not going to get much better than this when it comes to comedy on Blu-ray.  Two thumbs up here!

Audio  

I can’t seemingly help myself from starting to sound like a broken record within this review, but I really couldn’t be happier with this DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio surround track.  It almost made me double-check myself to make sure I was listening to a soundtrack from a comedy film.  From the action sequences to the interesting cuts of music interspersed throughout, this is definitely a surround track to be reckoned within the Blu-ray comedy arena.  The action and sound effects literally come to life behind you in the rear channels.  And let’s not forget about the LFE action either.  It gets quite bombastic at times.  I like what I’m hearing here.  And most importantly, dialog is never lost and is always in the forefront of the action.  It may not be Avatar or King Kong, but I think The Other Guys Blu-ray release is definitely one of the most impressive comedy mixes I have heard in a long time.

Special Features  

I have to admit, even though I’m not usually a sucker for Special Features, the supplemental package is pretty robust here.  And best of all, everything is in 1080p!  How wonderful is that?  I know!  So let’s stop wasting time and get down to the nitty gritty of all that you can find here.

• “Mom”-Mentary – This is the film’s audio commentary track.  But I guess I should have been paying better attention before I started to listen to it.  I kept hearing only three females talk and I’m thinking to myself, who are these women?  Well, if I had half a brain today, then the title would have given it away.  Oddly, the audio commentary here contains the mothers of Adam McKay, Will Ferrell and Christopher Henchy.  I know.  Strange, huh?
• Line-O-Rama (HD, 8:56) – Here’s a bunch of improvisational takes that never made it in the film.
• Gag Reel (HD, 6:17) – Now, come on!  You know what this is!
• Flash Forwards (HD, 1:45) – Hey…did you want to see Paris Hilton?  Well if so, you’ll find her in here.  This shows sequences of flash forward scenes from moments that happened in the film.
• Alternate Action (HD, 2:42) – Nothing more than additional action sequences.
• Wasn’t That??? (HD, 15:00) – Discusses the co-stars and cameos found within the film.
• Crash and Burn! (HD, 10:06) – A behind-the-scenes look at the stunt work.
• Why Are There Brits in This Movie? (HD, 6:41) – Joking around with Steve Coogan.
• Rob Riggle Likes to Party (HD, 2:32) – You want to get a closer look at the antics and thoughts of Rob Riggle?
• We Shouldn’t Kiss Chicken (HD, 1:16) – I’m going to let you watch this one and decide what the heck you just saw.
• Mark Wahlberg’s Eating Contest Entourage (HD, 3:33) – If you want to meet Mark’s real life friend who claims he can eat anything, then look no further than here!  These are by far some of the strangest special features I have seen as of late.  LOL.
• Bed Bath and Way Beyond (HD, 4:06) – A hilarious look at Michael Keaton’s work in the film.
• Lendl Global Commercial (HD, 0:39) – You will need to watch the movie to get this, but this is a fake commercial of a company that is referred to throughout the film.
• Extreme Close-Up (HD, 5:17) – Wow!  This supplemental package only continues to get weirder.  Here is a series of interviews of the cast and crew with the camera pressed up to their faces.
• Music Video (HD, 3:50) – “Pimps Don’t Cry” music video featuring the lovely Eva Mendes.  Once again, this will all make sense when you see the film.
• Everybody Hates the DVD Guy (HD, 4:47) – A behind-the-scenes look at the cast and crew being annoyed by the people trying to collect the supplemental footage we are all watching here.  Too funny!
• Extended & Deleted Scenes (HD, 30:24) – There are sixteen scenes showcased here and an alternate ending.  Have fun!  These are not my cup of tea.
• Previews (HD) – The theatrical previews of The Social Network, Salt and Easy A.
• BD-Live
• MovieIQ

It should also be noted that there are two versions of The Other Guys being released tomorrow on the Blu-ray format.  There’s a Blu-ray only version and one that contains both a DVD and Digital Copy of the film.  Pick your poison!

Final Thoughts  

I really don’t think there is any question that you, the Blu-ray buying public, should all own this buddy action cop film.  The Sony Blu-ray release of The Other Guys features the hilarious tale and zany mishaps of Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell on the beat as cops partnered together against their will, exceptional HD audio and video and a special features package, oddly, like none other (you have to see it to believe it).  This Blu-ray comes with my highest recommendation.  Bring it home today.  Pre-order it now!  Or else…

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Pre-order and bring home The Other Guys on Blu-ray today!