Review of Identity Thief (2013) by James W — 01 May 2014

Melissa McCarthy steals the identity of Jason Bateman and uses all his income so she can live the high life, but then Bateman runs down and foils McCarthy's plot, chaos ensues and this unlikely duo must work together when some bad people come after them. That's what I remember of the plot, such potential and such a stellar comedy cast should've delivered, but God this comedy flopped hard, painfully unfunny, so much so that me and my mate walked out.

The fact that this movie was bad pains me, the potential is huge but the execution is appalling. The cast packs talent from McCarthy, Bateman, Peet, Stonestreet, Rodriguez, Patrick, Kemper and numerous other stars, they do their absolute best with the shoddy material they've been presented with. There's no energy or atmosphere to pulp up any laughs, there's a damp air of emptiness, and it's apparent during the scene where Sandy and his wife are in their living room hugging. There's no buzz or upbeat feel. I think the only scene that was genuinely happy or filled with fun is the house fight where Sandy throws a toaster at Diana's head, hell that was the only laugh inducing moment.

The one liners fall flat, even if used for sarcasm or lack of care they don't even render a smile. When Diana says "Oh you should've left your hazards on", right after Sandy's car is taken out by a big rig, I should've giggled but I sat in the chair feeling nothing. The moment that just topped it all off leading me and my mate to walk out was the bar scene where Diana meets a redneck and starts stripping, it was embarrassing for the stars seeing as no one was laughing. We left the cinema, moaned the whole way room and haven't regretted it since. One of the biggest disappointments in years, avoid this.