The best thing, worst thing, and main thing about Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy’s buddy cop comedy “The Heat” in about the time it takes to watch the trailer.
TEXT OF REVIEW:
Seriously, Is there anything Sandra Bullock can’t do?
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The Heat, follows a straight laced FBI agent played by Sandra Bullock as her world collides with a do what it takes. color outside the lines, Boston cop played by Melissa Mcarthy. The two find themselves trapped in a case together and hilarity ensues as they try to adjust to each other’s drastically different styles of detective work. Right off the bat, I have to tell you this movie is hilarious.
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and that’s the best thing about “The Heat”. It’s genuinely funny. Yes it’s rated R, and it certainly earns its rating, but I never felt like the movie had to resort to being raunchy to get a laugh like so many of the R rated comedies seem to do today. Now, It’s no secret anymore that Melissa McCarthy is establishing herself as one of the funniest actresses working today ,but the real revelation here is Bullock. who somehow completely matches laughs with McCarthy. And the chemistry is great too! These two are absolutely great together and work to create laughs in much the way that so many comedy duos have over time. From Abbot and Costello to Farley and Spade and now Bullock and McCarthy. It’s a great match. The other surprise is that the laughs give way to a real dramatic heart to the movie as well. This time it’s Bullock we knew could pull this off, but McCarthy who is the revelation. Showing a real range of dramatic nuance here that I first saw a glimpse of in “Identity Thief”. Seriously, Watch out, because if McCarthy is as good an actress as it appears she may make that turn that many male comedians have made through the years. Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey. I wouldn’t be surprised to see McCarthy find that same success with the right roles cause she pulls some real emotion here. And the movie uses it well, never letting us forget its a comedy but taking the time to mean something in between the laughs.
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So What about negatives? Yeah there are a few jokes that fell flat, which will certainly happen when they are firing off so quickly, but I think the Worst Thing about The Heat, is McCarthy’s family. The film takes some time to introduce us to McCarthy’s loud mouthed stereotypical Boston family, and though some of those characters and lines are funny, many of the family members are complete caricatures which overall left the experience a bit overwhelming and off putting. It all came off feeling very “Nutty Professor” to me and a bit goofy in a movie that otherwise seemed to find laughs in character development and real life. It’s easy to forgive though knowing that family does play a role in understanding the heart of the message I just wonder if maybe they could have been toned back a bit.
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Still The Heat is a lot of fun, Bullock and McCarthy shine as both comedians and actresses in a movie that even through the rare missed jokes kept me laughing more often than not. I give it a healthy B+.
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