Spoilers for The Other Guys
The Other Guys, which I reviewed last weekend on my website, is the latest collaboration from director-writer Adam McKay and superstar Will Ferrell. The film is decently funny—some jokes work better than others—especially when it is less plotted and action focused (unfortunately that is the all we’re given in the last half hour).
However, one thing has stuck out for many viewers, which has been put online, which is the film’s credit sequence. In the plot of The Other Guys, Ferrell and Mark Whalberg are a couple of idiot cops who basically stop a corrupt Wall Street banker (Steve Coogan) from stealing the pension of the New York Police Department. Mr. McKay has said he chose this as his villain because he thought it was more timely than another drug dealer or Russian terrorist.
Yet if to make intentions clear, in the credits, we are given a number of financial facts that relate to how Wall Street has crippled Main Street. We are told how a Ponzi Scheme works, the increase in CEO pay over the last decade, and how the money each American spent on the bailout could fly us around the world.
I have no issue with putting this material in the film—its something all Americans should know, especially with Primary season in full motion. But does it belong in a McKay-Ferrell comedy? Perhaps if the film had been more political throughout, and had taken a real eye to Wall Street—Instead, these credits feel like a band-aid over a bigger problem. They are essential viewing though, so check them out below:
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