Review of The Heat (2013) by Tim U — 26 Apr 2014
This is the latest in a fairly recent run of the buddy cop movie renaissance along with 2010's "The Other Guys," and 2012's "21 Jump Street" reboot, out of those 3 runners The Heat gets the bronze, here's why:
The genre is known for its formulaic structures and tried and tested trope of chalk & cheese partnerships but they feel especially lackluster in this movie; in parts the script feels like the product of a buddy-cop mad-libs.
Melissa McCarthy has been rising in popularity rapidly but I've always found something about her to be fundamentally irritating. I was hoping this movie would be the combo breaker and show me what everyone else seems to see in her, but her performance lacks spark. Sandra Bullock, however, was as charismatic as always; Consistently enchanting and funny.
The laughs in the movie are largely down to Bullock's high-strung, restrained performance and her intelligently goofy delivery. The other, less successful attempts at humor are guilty of dropping lazy f-bombs and riding on slapstick courtesy of McCarthy.
It does pack some laughs but is dryly formulaic and lacks any of those unique and memorable gags found in 'The Other Guys'. It's well worth a look but might leave you feeling unsatisfied.
This review of The Heat (2013) was written by Tim U on 26 Apr 2014.
The Heat has generally received positive reviews.
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