Not entirely 'The Man'

By Chhun Sun
The Collegian

In “The Man,” Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy find themselves in the roles of the tough cop and the unsuspected police cooperative. It starts out as a case of mistaken identity that turns into an odd-couple action comedy. When this partnership develops, hilarity is supposed to follow, but the comedy is usually hit and miss.

But the film, which opens nationwide today, isn’t all that bad, even though the premise isn’t all that surprising. Another unsurprising fact of the movie is that the two have polar personalities and somehow develop mutual respect for each other, which does its job in lending constant action and humor.

In a role that’s not too far from his tough-guy persona, Jackson takes on the role of federal agent Derrick Vann. This character is similar to Jackson’s “Jules” character in “Pulp Fiction.” Therefore, his character can become tiring very quickly.

On the other hand, Levy plays Andy Fidler, a well-mannered dental supply salesperson with the ability to churn out questions and punch lines at any given moment. But Levy, in his first major starring role, can’t seem to shake away the fun-loving dad from the American Pie series.

Fidler finds himself in the middle of a federal police investigation when he is mistaken for a buyer of guns at a restaurant in Detroit, where the dental supply salesperson will be giving an inspirational speech to people in his profession the next day. Joey (Luke Goss, who looks like a slim and young David Beckham) is the person who makes the identity mishaps. The pretty boy Goss holds his own in a movie that’s like a two-man show.

But the chemistry between Jackson and Levy is apparent, with an I-scratch-your-back-if-you-scratch-mine relationship. It’s too bad this couple just can’t seem to get real laughter out of the audience until midway through the film.

The funniest part of the movie is when Levy calls tough-guy Jackson the b-word, which might make the audience wonder why this type of behavior did not appear sooner.

Directed by Wes Mayfield, the movie has a simple formula. Jackson takes care of the action, while Levy handles the comedy. Even though the duo can beat down bad guys, Jackson and Levy are incapable of beating down the likes of “The Wedding Crashers” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” Which is a tough job within itself.