Podcast 226: The Other Guys

Movie Title: The Other Guys
Release Date: August 6, 2010 — U.S. theatrical release
Runtime: 107 minutes
Director: Adam McKay
Screenplay Written By: Adam McKay and Chris Henchy
Based On: Original screenplay
Is it a remake?: No. It is an original buddy-cop action comedy, not a remake or adaptation.

Main Cast:

Will Ferrell as Detective Allen “Gator” Gamble
Mark Wahlberg as Detective Terry Hoitz
Eva Mendes as Dr. Sheila Ramos Gamble
Michael Keaton as Captain Gene Mauch
Steve Coogan as Sir David Ershon
Ray Stevenson as Roger Wesley
Dwayne Johnson as Detective Christopher Danson
Samuel L. Jackson as Detective P.K. Highsmith
Lindsay Sloane as Francine
Rob Riggle as Detective Martin
Damon Wayans Jr. as Detective Fosse
Bobby Cannavale as Jimmy
Anne Heche as Pamela Boardman
Derek Jeter as himself

Budget:

Estimated $85–100 million. Reported figures vary by source.

Box Office:

Domestic: approximately $119.2 million
International: approximately $51.7 million
Worldwide: approximately $170.9 million
Opening weekend: approximately $35.5 million, debuting at No. 1 and knocking Inception out of the top spot.

Awards:

IMDb awards summary: 3 wins and 15 nominations.
Won Best Comedy Film at the first annual Comedy Awards.
Major Oscar / BAFTA / Golden Globe wins: Insufficient verified data.

Short Plot Summary:

Desk-bound NYPD detectives Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz live in the shadow of the department’s superstar cops, Danson and Highsmith. When those heroes are suddenly gone, Gamble and Hoitz get a chance to step into a major case that starts as a minor paperwork issue. Their investigation leads to a much larger financial conspiracy involving billionaire Sir David Ershon. The film parodies buddy-cop action movies while also satirizing corporate fraud and post-financial-crisis bailouts.

Key Quotes:

“Aim for the bushes.” — Detective Christopher Danson
“I’m a peacock, you gotta let me fly!” — Detective Terry Hoitz
“I’m not gonna shoot you, but I don’t have to help you.” — Detective Allen Gamble
“Shake your dicks, this pissing contest is over.” — Captain Gene Mauch
“Gator don’t play no shit.” — Detective Allen Gamble

Trivia

Director:
- The Other Guys was directed by Adam McKay, who co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Henchy.
- It was the fourth of five major collaborations between McKay and Will Ferrell after Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers, and before Anchorman 2.
- McKay described the film’s origin as somewhat accidental: after seeing the chemistry between Ferrell and Wahlberg, he floated the idea of pairing them in a cop movie.
- The film marks a transition point in McKay’s comedy work, mixing absurd buddy-cop parody with the financial-system satire he would later explore more directly in The Big Short.
Cast / Casting:
- Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s pairing began here and later continued with Daddy’s Home and Daddy’s Home 2.
- Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson play the film’s exaggerated “super-cop” duo, Danson and Highsmith, whose early exit sets up the central premise.
- Derek Jeter appears as himself; his cameo explains why Terry Hoitz is stuck behind a desk after accidentally shooting him during the World Series.
- Michael Keaton plays Captain Gene Mauch, whose running gag involves unknowingly quoting TLC songs while also working a second job at Bed Bath & Beyond.
Soundtrack / Score:
- Jon Brion composed the film’s score.
- The original song “Pimps Don’t Cry” was written by Jon Brion, Adam McKay, Will Ferrell, Orr Rebhun, and Erica Weis, and produced by Brion.
- The film uses several needle drops for comedy, including TLC songs connected to Captain Mauch’s accidental lyric-quoting gag.
Location:
- Principal photography began on September 23, 2009, in New York City.
- Additional scenes were filmed in Albany, Westchester, and Staten Island, New York.
- The film is set mainly within the NYPD and uses New York City as both a buddy-cop playground and a backdrop for financial-crime satire.
Behind-The-Scenes:
- The film was produced by Columbia Pictures, Gary Sanchez Productions, and Mosaic Media Group, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.
- Stunt coordinator Brad Martin said the production used three Toyota Priuses for Gamble’s car, including one with a racing engine so large it had to be placed in the back seat.
- Practical effects work included action-comedy set pieces such as the helicopter crash sequence.
- The film’s end credits include graphics and statistics about corporate bailouts, CEO compensation, and financial inequality, extending the movie’s Wall Street satire beyond the plot.
Nostalgia:
- The movie parodies the buddy-cop formula built by films like Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys, and other high-damage action-comedies.
- The “Aim for the bushes” sequence became one of the film’s most remembered jokes because it abruptly removes the movie’s apparent action heroes.
- The film landed during the post-2008 financial-crisis period, which makes its corporate-fraud subplot and bailout end-credit montage especially tied to its era.
- Ferrell and Wahlberg’s odd-couple chemistry became strong enough that the pair was later reused in the Daddy’s Home films.
Easter Eggs:
- Captain Mauch’s accidental TLC references include lyrics from songs such as “No Scrubs” and “Waterfalls,” though the character seems unaware he is quoting them.
- The film’s police-action chaos deliberately exaggerates common buddy-cop clichés: reckless heroes, exploding vehicles, angry captains, office rivalries, and detectives desperate for field glory.
- The end-credit financial graphics are not just a joke tag; they reframe the entire case as a satire of real-world financial misconduct and bailout culture.
Misc:
- The film was rated PG-13.
- Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the premise as desk-bound NYPD detectives getting the chance to prove themselves when a minor case turns into something bigger.
- The Other Guys received generally positive reviews and was widely noted for Ferrell and Wahlberg’s comic chemistry.
- Sony’s official description emphasizes that Gamble and Hoitz are “sentenced to life behind the desk” until the department’s top cops go down and opportunity opens up.