The Daily Stream: The Other Guys Is Buddy Cop Comedy At Its Absolute Finest

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "The Other Guys"

Where You Can Stream It: Netflix, Hulu

The Pitch: There were few people who can say they had a run like Adam McKay had in the comedy world in the 2000s, particularly when he was coupled with his longtime friend and filmmaking partner Will Ferrell (prior to their seemingly ugly professional breakup). "Anchorman," "Talladega Nights," and "Step Brothers" all came one after the other. But what frequently gets left out of the conversation in terms of that tremendous run is 2010's "The Other Guys," which may well be one of the finest buddy-cop comedies ever made at this point, rivaled only by a few other classics of the genre, such as "48 Hours" and "Hot Fuzz." This may sound hyperbolic but with some distance, this movie increasingly seems like a genuine gem with all of the right pieces coming together just so to make something truly hilarious, entertaining, and seemingly uncompromised on every level.

So much about "The Other Guys" just works like gangbusters. Primarily, McKay crafts a genuinely effective cop flick that moves this whole thing along. There is a compelling enough case with enough threads to pull and intrigue to follow that makes it so that even without the comedy (of which there is plenty) there would still be a functioning movie here. But the brilliance of it all is that McKay surrounds hard-nosed "odd couple cops on the case" film with so much comedy — derived both from his particular brand as well as a clear fondness for the genre — that it elevates the movie to something far beyond your average send-up picture.

It's simply overflowing with great bits and casting decisions that it is tough to not fall in love with it. The sheer brilliance of bringing in Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson to play the hero cops who find their way out of the movie rather quickly through a truly surprising gag is just the tip of the iceberg. We also have Michael Keaton (who wasn't truly in the public consciousness at that time) as Captain Gene getting to ham it up with unintentional TLC references, as well as Will Ferrell oddly playing something close to the straight man in Allen Gamble, with Mark Wahlberg getting to get out of his comfort zone and be the ridiculous one of the pair as Terry Hoitz. Not to mention the pitch-perfect reveal of Eva Mendes as Dr. Sheila Gamble, Allen's amazing wife that sends Terry into a full-on fit of disbelief. Plus we get Steve Coogan as the criminal at the center of the case. What more could one ask for?

A major issue with comedies, especially ones that are trying to be more than one thing, is that they can waste all of the goods in the first half of the movie, making the whole exercise feel front-loaded. "The Other Guys" starts strong and finishes strong with very little lag in the middle. From the lion fighting a tuna debate, to the "Soup Kitchen" scene (ranking as the hardest I have ever laughed in a movie theater in my entire life), all the way to the engaging yet still funny as hell third act, it's hard to expect more from a movie geared purely to entertain.

The only real shame of it is that this movie doesn't seem to have the lasting juice that the other movies made by McKay and Ferrell do. And McKay is far too busy making movies like "Don't Look Up" to expect him to revisit this portion of his career at this point. Do yourself a favor and don't let this one get lost to time. "The Other Guys" is a peacock and you've gotta let it fly.