The Heat

COMEDY

Bring the Heat, Bring the Noise

8.25 out of 10 | Matinee or DVD

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Rated: R  Pervasive language, strong crude content and some violence
Release Date: June 28, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes

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Director: Paul Feig
Writers: Katie Dippold
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demián Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, Bill Burr, Nathan Corddry

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SYNOPSIS: Uptight FBI special agent Sarah Ashburn is paired with testy Boston cop Shannon Mullins in order to take down a ruthless drug lord. The hitch: neither woman has ever had a partner -- or a friend for that matter.

REVIEW: Bridesmaids director Paul Feig crafted a film that allowed Melissa McCarthy to a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. McCarthy and Feig with another Oscar alum, Sandra Bullock, for a buddy cop movie - with women. Katie Dippold, with writing creds for MADtv and Parks and Recreation, takes her first crack at the big screen with this action/adventure comedy.

Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side) is a special agent with the FBI. Clearing more cases than her colleagues, Ashburn is pursuing the position for senior supervisor special agent of the office. But before she can be considered, her boss assigns her to track down a drug kingpin name Larkin in the Boston area. Looking through all the street-level dealers, Ashburn finds that a street thug named Terrell Rojas (Spoken Reasons) has been apprehended by the local Boston Police Department, collars by a detective name Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy, Identity Thief). At odds from the start, Ashburn and Mullins try to gain intelligence by working their way up from Rojas to the bigger suppliers and distributors in an attempt to get at the mysterious Larkin. As they get deeper and deeper into the criminal organization's network, they have to overcome obstacles with each other, their respective law enforcement agencies, and a DEA operation already in progress on the organization. They either have to work together to get the collar or tear each other apart trying.

Bullock goes back into her fish-out-of-water, woman-in-the-wrong-profession, underdog FBI agent role that she was so effective at in Miss Congeniality. Disliked by her colleagues in spite of her impressive track record, Bullock's Ashburn is an outsider looking in. Melissa McCarthy is also an outsider, but she is feared rather than resented. Her Mullins' rough exterior is a result of growing up in an Irish Boston household filled with brothers, sarcasm, and general familial abuse. Unlike Ashburn's by the book practices, Mullins relies on her gut instinct to make the right choices. Both will be necessary to get the job done in this flick.

Unfortunately, Bullock's character is a little too similar to her Gracie Hart role, minus the meek, mousy exterior. The similarities are so apparent, I found myself a little bored at how familiar the character acted. Once McCarthy's Mullins appeared onscreen with Bullock's Ashburn, though, the chemistry and hilarious hi-jinks was evident and palpable. Together, they are comedy gold. McCarthy brings a wit, physicality and improv skill set that takes this flick to the next level. Some of the supporting cast adds to the fun, too. All of Mullin's Boston-born brothers, gathering around the family table for dinner, set a tone of discomfort and unwarranted Southie pride at the expense of both Sarah and Shannon. What is a narc, anyway?

I was a huge fan of the first Miss Congeniality, but here there is no pageant or support staff of law enforcement officers. Ashburn and Mullins are on their own. Bullock plays the same straight-as-an-arrow, play-by-the-rule-book special agent, but it's McCarthy's Mullims who steals the show with her vulgarity, sarcasm, and rude behavior. As much as I love Bullock, her reprisal of a too similar character to Gracie Hart seems a little dated and tired. But her chemistry with McCarthy turns up the heat on both the action and the laughs.

Fans of either of these too accomplished actresses will enjoy the slap-stick, vulgarity, and uproarious antics that these two get their characters into. The story is nothing new - criminal enterprises and the good guys (or girls) who try to bring them to justice - but the funny chemistry between this dynamic duo is brand new!

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Identity Thief

COMEDY

She's Having the Time of His Life

★ ★ ★ out of 5 | DVD or Rental

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Rated: R Sexual content and language.
Release Date: February 8, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes

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Director: Seth Gordon
Writers: Craig Mazin, Jerry Eeten
Cast: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, T.I., Genesis Rodriguez, Morris Chestnut, John Cho, Robert Patrick, Eric Stonestreet

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SYNOPSIS:  Mild-mannered businessman Sandy Patterson travels from Denver to Miami to confront the deceptively harmless-looking woman who has been living it up after stealing Sandy's identity.

REVIEW: Seth Gordon, director of big screen Horrible Bosses and Four Christmases and small screen Breaking In, takes another crack at slap-stick comedy with Identity Thief. Reteaming with Jason Bateman, Gordon takes a story by The Hangover Part II writer Craig Mazin and The Watchman writer Jerry Eeten to find out how far a man will go to reclaim his name.

Sandy Bigelow Patterson (Jason Bateman, Horrible Bosses) works for PFG as an internal accounts manager. When he mistakenly gives up his personal information to an identity thief posing as Sandy Bigelow Patterson (Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids), his world is turned upside down with sudden overdrawn credit cards, defaulted payments, and an arrest for a failure to appear in front of a judge in Florida. When the Denver PD detective Reilly (Morris Chestnut, Think Like a Man) shows Sandy a mugshot of the real female culprit, Sandy is still unable to clear his name in time to avert issues at home with his wife Trish (Amanda Peet, 2012) and a lucrative new job he hired on for with boss Daniel Casey (John Cho, Total Recall). Bent on clearing his name, Sandy travels to Florida with the plan to confront and transport the faux Sandy back to Denver to clear his name. But his plans go out the window when the fake sandy, aka Diana, becomes the target of disgruntled criminals Marisol (Genesis Rodrigeuz, The Last Stand) and Julian (Tip 'T.I' Harris, Takers) who were cheated with bad fake credit cards. Sandy talks Diana into traveling on the road with him over staring down the barrel of a gun meant to kill her. But every tank of gas and every swipe of a card get the duo into more danger and more dire situations. Can Sandy clear his name before he has to resort to Diana's criminal methods to get home?

Jason Bateman plays a role that he loves to play. His character Sandy is just trying to make ends meet and provide for his family. Like roles played by the put upon Ben Stiller, Jason Bateman is usually the put upon guy who just can't seem to rise to the occasion to make a better life for himself and his family. But as he tries to do the right thing to reclaim his life, Jason's Sandy is forced to face the fact that the way he's been brought up to provide is not necessarily the only way to deal with things. Couple Bateman's Sandy with the hurricane that is Melissa McCarthy's Diana and there really is no chance for Sandy to come away unscathed. Melissa McCarthy brings her own brand of kinetic and physical humor to her role as Diana as the thief just trying to get by in life in her own way.

But for as much friction Diana causes Sandy, it's not the only conflict with the film. Genesis Rodriguez's Marisol, T.I.'s Julian and Robert Patrick's (Gangster Squad) skiptracer bring even more angst to the already angst-ridden Sandy Bigelow Pattersons. With gun battles, car chases, police intervention and more, Sandy and Diana have much more to contend with than just each other.

The trailers make Identity Thief look like a simple goofball comedy. The laughs in the trailer and commercials aren't the only laughs, but there is more to it the story that just silly comedy. At the center of the story is a drama that goes deeper than just stealing tchotchkes under an assumed name. Melissa McCarthy surprises with her range as an actress, while Jason Bateman reinforces why he is one of the go to guys for stoic split-second comic timing.

Identity Thief is a silly comedy with a good mix of action, drama, and a touching moral theme. Bateman and McCarthy are a fine team, even if they tend to hit each other over the head with  an acoustic guitar or punch each other in the throat. You will chuckle, and maybe feel a little. Just keep a watch on your wallet.

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Bridesmaids

Do You Take This Comedy? I Do!

Director: Paul Feig

Writers: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo

Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd

SYNOPSIS: When her best friend gets engaged, Annie is asked to be the maid of honor. Tasked with making all of the preparations, Annie must contend with the other bridesmaids, losing her best friend to marriage and the status of her own life.

Director Paul Feig of Unaccompanied Minors semi-fame returns to the big screen after directing stints on The Office and Nurse Jackie. For Bridesmaids, written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Feig brings Wiig and Maya Rudolph from SNL, Ellie Kemper from tv's The Office, Rose Byrne from Insidious and the upcoming X-Men: First Class, Wendi McLendon-Covey from tv's Rules of Engagement, and Melissa McCarthy from tv's Mike & Molly. What does this mean? It means that Feig may be coaching the Olympic Dream Team of female comedy. Competing with them are their male counterparts Chris O'Dowd and Jon Hamm.

The opening sequence sets the tone for the entire film. Annie (Wiig) and Ted (Jon Hamm) wrestle in bed as friends with benefits, eliciting all the hilarious sexual moves and faces that all of us normal people go through. Once Annie takes the Walk of Shame the next morning, she realizes that she may have hit the rock bottom that her mother talks about. Enter her best friend, supporter and confidant Lillian (Rudolph) who springs the news that she is getting married and wants Annie to be the maid of honor, and all that the title entails. Along the way, Lillian's collection of bridesmaids consisting of co-workers and new friends make for chatter and bridal party chaos.

The film is both funny and tender, realistic in its character portrayal, dialogue and the examination of how the humor and embarrassment of real life imitates arts which imitates life. Annie and rich second-wife of the husband-to-be Doug's boss, Helen (Rose Byrne) square off, rich versus poor, childhood friends versus new friend, vying for Lillian's affection and approval. Doug's sister Megan (Melissa McCarthy) is surprisingly limber and agile with her comedy, making no apologies. Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey) also makes no apologies, but she simply wants to escape from a husband and three boys that try her patience and devotion. Finally, Lillian's office-mate Becca (Ellie Kemper) brings the doe-eyed optimism of that brand new marriage smell, soon realizing that the grass may not be greener on the other side of the fence, just something she never experienced.

Enter Officer Rhodes (Chris O'Dowd), the state trooper who pulls over Annie for broken tail lights and recognizes her face and the excellent bake goods and pastries from her now-closed bakery. Flirting to get out of a tickets leads to something resembling a real relationship that Annie is ill equipped to deal with. One of the funniest moments of the film occurs on a lonely stretch of highway where Annie and Helen are trying to get Officer Rhodes help. And aside from the opening number in the sack, the "flu"-ridden bridal party dress fitting is a battle of wills and a battle of plumbing. Raunchy and gross, it may bring a laughing tear to your eyes at the same time you try to look away. But like a car accident, you can't seem to look away for long.

Tears of laughter may overcome you, which is great since those tears will mask the real tears you will send in Bridesmaids. Heartfelt and funny, you will get a kick out of all the antics that go into making a perfect day, no matter what the cost!

WORTH: Matinee and DVD