Review of Hot Pursuit (2015) by Pat P — 14 May 2015

As Hot as revenge served on a witch's teat, this wasted team-up of good talent goes too big too always. Perhaps, the music used over the opening credits provides the best review of all. At first, it sounds like Tom Petty's "American Girl." Soon, however, you realize that this is not the jangly rocking guitar of the Heartbreakers but a cheap karaoke knock-off. Note for note a cover of something familiar and better, Hot Pursuit tries wringing comedy out of tired buddy comedy jokes. One is straight laced and Wonderbread white and the other is a feisty person of color. A car breaks down at a particularly inopportune time. Upon spotting the square cop's granny panties, we hear the gem "That's not underwear, that's a diaper." They inject a girl-on-girl kiss not because its warranted but to make homosexuality a pulse-racing punchline. They shoehorn in a love interest completely out of left field. Regardless, this hot mess features mismatched pair who learn to love each other a la 48 Hours, Lethal Weapon, and Midnight Run.

In this PG-13-rated comedy, an uptight and by-the-book cop (Witherspoon) tries to protect the outgoing widow (Vergara) of a drug boss as they race through Texas pursued by crooked cops and murderous gunmen.

This broad broad comedy might star two very capable players but the material holds zero potential of generating laughs. Reese Witherspoon remains one of H'Wood's most versatile actresses but this Grade-Z shtick only asks her to run the gamut from A to lowercase "a." Her partner in this crime scene, Sofia Vergara, possesses one strong character type that she goes to over and over on the small and big screens (Carmen Miranda, minus the fruit hat). Here, saddled with lines like (to the diminutive Witherspoon) "You're like a little dog I can put in my purse," this Colombian spitfire comes off as funny as a one-note funeral dirge.

Bottom line: Bloated Weapon.