The end credits blow open this subtext, unfurling the films themes with bold animated infographics of corporate greed.
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Has irony destroyed action entertainment?
And, likewise, what place does economic discourse have in a Will Ferrell movie?
Lets find out..
How did the film come about?
Did the genre spoof concept come first, and was Will Ferrell definitely involved?
Theres always just some little small purchase point you have.
And it was that tone of voice he loved.
WithTalladega Nights, it was the NASCAR, Bush, Red States of America.
With this one, it was really a dinner with Mark Wahlberg.
Hes a great guy, really funny.
We havent done that yet, either, and thats always exciting.
Really, the only good cop buddy movie in the last 10 years isHot Fuzz, I would say.
I cant think of any others.
So all of a sudden, we were like, Oh, my god.
But, just by virtue of it being a cop buddy film, itisa spoof.
Its like doing a comedy thats a Western.
Immediately, its a spoof, even though youre doing everything different, or trying to change things.
You know you have to hit certain beats, and its just the way it goes.
So we kind of knew that.
We said,All right.
Its going to be a cop buddy film.
Lets do our darnedest to make it as original and funny as we can.
Probably well fail in some cases, and then itll be a spoof.
Thats how we got into it.
That seems to be the case with the likes ofHot FuzzandTropic Thunder.
Was that a draw for you as well?Absolutely, yeah!
With each movie we do, I want there to be something different that I get to try.
Or a different location, or a different style.
So I was excited about a couple things with this.
So I loved that.
Clearly, I loved the chance to work with Mark Wahlberg.
I hadnt worked with him before.
And then, yes, the action was really exciting for me.
And to get my feet a little wet with that was a blast.
There are some amazing sequences, like the opening car chase, which turns into a bus chase.
It seems like you were indulging in a bit of geekery there.
Were you bringing in any nods to or influences from other films in the genre that you love?
And thats a good way of putting it.
It was just pure fun film geekery for me, to get to shoot that kind of stuff.
But some of the stuff I got to shoot with my crew.
One of the funnest was the slow motion shootout in the conference room.
And there was a fight on a rooftop with the motorcycle guys, and that was pureThe Bourne Identity.
The way we shot it fast, and with the cuts.
Thats just a blast, to get to do that stuff.
And just, as a film fan, I take a stab at make it so it doesnt suck.
Even though its a comedy, you want that stuff to play well.
I think youre absolutely right.
I think its very hard to sincerely do those kind of movies.
Really, the only way to sincerely do them is to elevate the technical aspect of it so much.
I mean, if you look atAvatar, could you imagine if you didAvatarfor 50 million dollars?
It would be ridiculous!
So, I was happy that we wandered into it with that, a little bit.
But I think youre right.
I think its hard to do that kind of action straight-up.
That white-collar crime aspect is something that gives the film a contemporary, relevant edge.
Was that an important element for you, from the scripting stage onwards?
I thought then youd be full-out spoof.
I felt the only crime that has any stakes or jeopardy to it now is white-collar crime.
Thats where all the damage is being done.
I dont think we fully succeeded.
And the fact that its a computer transfer at the end…!
But the truth is that, that is kind of what white-collar crime is!
White-collar crime has been marketed billions of dollars have been put in to have us be bored by it.
They dont want us to be interested in that.
They dont want us to know the economic terms.
They dont want us to know in America, especially what the Federal Reserve is.
So, I was excited by that.
I thought, Well, this is a very poppy movie.
Its a comedy, its juicy and chunky, its the summer.
And I think we did an okay job.
I wouldnt say it was a smashing success, that part of it.
Fortunately, thats only twenty percent of the movie.
Thats sort of why I did the credits at the end, where I just said, Screw it.
Im just gonna say it nakedly!
I thought, Oh, these look cool!
They look kinda beautiful!
Ive always found that to be entertaining, even though theyre jaw-dropping and startling.
I also thought of the financial thing as not really political.
We all agree that it happened.
But I underestimated the old corporate media in the United States and the right-wing media.
So, yeah, we got some complaints on that, but, ultimately, I dont care.
I think theyre cool.
Theyre very stylish, informative infographics.
Was there any point where you thought it wouldnt fly with the studio bosses?
Well, you know, were very lucky.
This is going to sound like a bit of studio ass-kissing, but its absolutely true.
Sony is the coolest studio.
They are really amazing.
I think part of it comes from theyre not an American corporation.
They dont work by quite the same rules.
And their studio heads have a lot of autonomy.
And Amy Pascal and Matt Tolmach and Michael Lynton are really friendly to the creatives.
Theyre legendary for being pretty cool about stuff like that.
I also think that they know me.
They were fine with it.
They were great, and the movie did well in the end.
And it does help that the core of the film isnt necessarily that aspect.
Its more about the other guys, the triumph of the flawed, normal people on the periphery.
Thats really what its about.
And part of that is creating new heroes to address these new crimes.
Thats what the goal of the movie was.
So, that was sort of the goal of it.
I gotta say, I probably miscalculated a little bit on it.
I did not think it was as Michael Moore-ish as it was perceived.
A lot of people loved them, but I was a little surprised by that.
I, from my own little cocoon world, thought they were just cool and fun.
Well, that may be the best point, which is you dont just see that very often.
And by that virtue, right away, it lends itself to Michael Moore.
Also, you dont really ever see people call out big money in any sort of commercial entertainment way.
And in a naive way, I thought this was a very populist thing.
But, youre right, Michael Moores the only guy who does that.
If anything, you know what, its a compliment to Michael Moore, the whole discussion!
Oh, my god, the Michael Moore similarities are lining up even more!
I have been listening to thatMaggies Farmcover for, like, four years.
Its one of my favourite covers anywhere.
And I thought, Oh my god.
I can finally use it!
So, I thought, All right.
its time for a little Maggies Farm.Mr McKay, thank you for your time!
The Other Guysis released on September 17th.
