Who’d have thought that Melissa McCarthy would become such a major movie star so quickly? The “Bridesmaids” actress turned “Identity Thief” into a massive financial success, and now she hopes to do it again with “The Heat”. The box office is already superb for the movie, but I’m happy to report that, unlike “Identity Thief”, there’s actually an enjoyable movie in here, albeit one that’s full of flaws and characters that are tough to warm to.
Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is a successful FBI agent, whose personality and arrogant demeanor have contributed to success in her job, but also made her a lonely person. When she’s sent to Boston, she meets Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), a local cop whose brash attitude makes her off-putting, even as she gets her job done. When the two are assigned to work on a case together, the shenanigans that ensue wind up making them both better people and create a friendship that certainly…brings the heat! (Why doesn’t 20th Century FOX hire me for their marketing team?)
“The Heat” is an OK movie that would be much better if it’s characters were more likable. In the beginning, both Bullock and McCarthy are stereotypical cops in every respect, with Bullock playing the lonely, yet overbearing agent, and McCarthy, whose character sort of stops development at “She’s loud, foul mouthed and obnoxious”, just causing a lot of mayhem for everybody who’s unlucky enough to fall into her path. It’s hard to invest in either of them when there really isn’t much redeeming about either, although there are still one or two great lines tucked away amidst all that chaos.
Believe it or not, as the movie gets going, they get better, with more personality given to both of them, especially in McCarthy’s over-the-top family that lends some nice emotional aspects to that character. Interestingly, by the time the third act arrives, the film is firing on all cylinders, with the rapport between the two being amazingly funny and even the action moments being well staged. It’s a riveting experience, as all the potential that the film had finally comes to fruition in the very end, although I wish rest of the film shared it’s finale’s sense of energy and comical timing.
There’s probably enough hilarious moments and great physical comedy (mainly supplied by the marvelous Melissa McCarthy) in “The Heat” to make it worth a watch. It’s nowhere near as good as it could’ve been, but it’s got a great third act and just just enough humor in the first two acts to slightly forgive it’s occasional subpar quality. To boot, both of these great actors get around to having superb chemistry by the end, and I doubt you’ll find a funnier moment involving a cat in any movie all summer. It’s not the best, but I suppose “The Heat” does fine for brief summer fun.
