Review of Identity Thief (2013) by Dawdlingpoet — 28 Nov 2021

This is very much a slapstick, visual comedy based film. The story is pretty simple and the comedy is quite childish/juvenile but I wouldn't say it wasn't amusing. I can imagine people rooting for who would normally be seen as the bad guy (or gal), said thief of the films title - this being on the basis that the victim is a bit of a moneybags type and this film obviously being set during the recent American foreclosure and more general economic crisis, when such people were undoubtedly looked down on for being selfish and greedy, certainly by some. Mind you, I'd also say that I felt quite sorry for Sandy, due to Diana's 'loud and proud' type personality, making it difficult for him to keep her under control for long enough to sort things out.

It is somewhat of a typical American 'underdog' plight/theme film, with Diana being the sort of person who wouldn't stand out ordinarily, or perhaps expect to be living a lavish lifestyle, so perhaps it appeals to similar people who may like to imagine themselves in said characters position (aside from the legal issues, obviously). In some scenes I felt there was a bit too much dialogue and it became a bit dull, while in other scenes, it was quite fast paced. It felt a bit 'all over the place' in terms of the pace, the tone and character development. As I say, the comedy is quite juvenile and there were numerous scenes that made me cringe. I wouldn't recommend watching this film with your parents, put it that way!. Content wise, there are scenes of a sexual nature, strong language and violence present (it carries a 15 certificate to reflect this).

Cast wise, Melissa McCarthy definitely gives the stand out performance, as the seemingly (at first glance) innocent, yet devilishly hyperactive and scarily outgoing Diana. The other main character, Sandy Patterson, is plated by Jason Bateman. His performance was ok but not especially memorable or noticeable, I'd say. Other cast members include Jon Favreau, who plays Harold Cornish - Sandy's boss and Amanda Peet, who plays Trish Patterson, Sandy's wife. I thought it was an entertaining film, if not especially brilliant - it could have been both better and worse. The film has a running time of about an hour and 50 minutes and it kept my attention, for the most part, throughout. I did feel that towards the end, when it became quite emotional, there was too much 'cheese' and I wasn't sure if it was meant to be taken seriously at all or not but given the plot up until then, I found myself feeling very uncomfortable with the prospect of feeling sorry for Diana. I felt that the plot ended a bit too quickly and there were a few sub-plots present, of which I couldn't help but feel like there were too many. There are a couple of characters featured which don't have anything like enough development and seem to be included in the film just sort of on a whim, to distract the viewer away, at times, from the main characters and plot.

I wouldn't say I recommend this film especially - its not awful but its not particularly brilliant either. Its a fairly watchable film, although I certainly wouldn't recommend watching it in front of your parents and its only suitable for teens, 15+ due to the strong language and sex references. The script seemed a bit 'scatty' or cluttered, it could have done with some more character development but it was relatively amusing. While it was really quite cringey in places, it was also relatively entertaining, hence the 3 star rating.

If the ending had been a little less cliche, I may well have given it a 7 out of 10 rating. I'd say its worth considering a watch if its shown on TV or perhaps as a rental (if your a fan of Melissa McCarthy) but otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.