We've seen it many times before. From "Miami Vice" to "Lethal Weapon", and furthermore in "Rush Hour", the cultural and personality clash of mismatched allies unwittingly working together has long become an established formula.
The newest unlikely pairing comes in the guise of Eugene Levy and Samuel L. Jackson, two individuals who stand at the furthest polar opposites from each other, both relying on their stereotypical persona of the tough guy and the bumbling nerd to illustrate this contrast.
A routine business trip from Wisconsin to Detroit turns into an unexpected case of mistaken identity for Andy Fiddler (Levy), a dental supply salesman, while heading to a convention.
Upon his arrival, he coincidentally crosses paths with Derrick Vann (Jackson), a federal agent who just happens to be dealing with the death of his partner and a stash of stolen firearms. From then on, Derrick uses Andy in his scheme to recover the weapons and expose the leader of the operation (Luke Goss). Andy, who is believed to be a participant in the whole criminal dealings, has no other choice but to cooperate with Derrick and solve the case in time to make it to his convention the next morning.
"The Man" employs the usual rules of buddy movies, as we see the two leads initially teaming up with reluctance only to inevitably become accustomed to each other in the end. Both discover that they can learn from one another, with Andy teaching Derrick to be more trusting and more appreciative of family values, while Derrick teaches Andy to be more assertive.
Levy and Jackson's combination is effective to a certain degree, due in great part to the clear distinction between positivity and negativity which emanate from both characters, the two elements nonetheless blending together to create highly compatible opposites.
Unfortunately, this exuded chemistry cannot sustain the rest of the material which all too often resorts to extensive flatulence sequences, resulting in two heavyweight actors floating on nothing more than hot air in a film that practically has no other substance and that lingers unpleasantly, long after it has passed.
The newest unlikely pairing comes in the guise of Eugene Levy and Samuel L. Jackson, two individuals who stand at the furthest polar opposites from each other, both relying on their stereotypical persona of the tough guy and the bumbling nerd to illustrate this contrast.
A routine business trip from Wisconsin to Detroit turns into an unexpected case of mistaken identity for Andy Fiddler (Levy), a dental supply salesman, while heading to a convention.
Upon his arrival, he coincidentally crosses paths with Derrick Vann (Jackson), a federal agent who just happens to be dealing with the death of his partner and a stash of stolen firearms. From then on, Derrick uses Andy in his scheme to recover the weapons and expose the leader of the operation (Luke Goss). Andy, who is believed to be a participant in the whole criminal dealings, has no other choice but to cooperate with Derrick and solve the case in time to make it to his convention the next morning.
"The Man" employs the usual rules of buddy movies, as we see the two leads initially teaming up with reluctance only to inevitably become accustomed to each other in the end. Both discover that they can learn from one another, with Andy teaching Derrick to be more trusting and more appreciative of family values, while Derrick teaches Andy to be more assertive.
Levy and Jackson's combination is effective to a certain degree, due in great part to the clear distinction between positivity and negativity which emanate from both characters, the two elements nonetheless blending together to create highly compatible opposites.
Unfortunately, this exuded chemistry cannot sustain the rest of the material which all too often resorts to extensive flatulence sequences, resulting in two heavyweight actors floating on nothing more than hot air in a film that practically has no other substance and that lingers unpleasantly, long after it has passed.