Will Farrell needs a career boost. Last year, his poorly reviewed family comedy Land of the Lost bombed at the box office. Earlier this month, Paramount Pictures passed on an Anchorman sequel fearing that it wouldn't recoup the costs of Ferrell and his co-stars' salaries. Enter The Other Guys debuting in theaters this weekend. In this buddy-cop comedy set in Manhattan, Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson play NYPD officers poised to clamp down on Wall Street malfeasance. Though police satire is a pretty worn out subject as far as comedies go, critics really seem to like the film. With Ferrell sorely needing a win at the box office, could The Other Guys revitalize his career?

• You Betcha, writes Betsy Sharkey at the Los Angeles Times:  "There is something so richly subversive, so vicariously appealing about turning accountants into action heroes who aim their big guns at Wall Street Ponzi schemers that the idea alone makes the new buddy-cop comedy... clever and funny from the first frame. Fortunately, many other clever and funny frames follow. Which is nice to be able to say about a Will Ferrell comedy again after a recent string of duds capped by the dismal 'Land of the Lost' in 2009."

• Its Box Office Prospects Look Good, writes Dorothy Pomerantz at Forbes: "This weekend he may be in luck. Exhibitor Relations expects his new movie, The Other Guys, to top the box office with $35 million. Ferrell hasn’t seen an opening that good since 2007’s Blades of Glory which opened to $33 million and went on to earn $145 million at the global box office."

• It's Simply Hilarious, cheers Dezhda Gaubert at E! Online:  "It's the jokes that work best. And there are a ton of them. Most are chuckles, but there are enough gut-busters to make this one of the best comedies since The Hangover. It has the sweet, silly, and somewhat vulgar stamp of Team Ferrell, for sure...Every actor, from Wahlberg to Ferrell to Eva Mendes to the long-time-no-see Michael Keaton have exceptional timing and nuance."

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John Hudson