The Heat

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demian Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, Jane Curtin
Directed by: Paul Feig
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A by-the-book FBI Agent (Sandra Bullock) reluctantly teams with a renegade Boston cop (Melissa McCarthy) to bring down a drug lord.

Review:

Tim: The Heat is a good movie- it's a pretty funny action comedy with a good cast. It's a pleasant enough, entertaining enough film. Unfortunately, it'll never be more than that. The film is fine, I don't have any real complaints, but there wasn't a whole lot to get excited about, either.

The biggest draw of this film is undoubtedly the pairing of Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. Bullock has been one of the biggest female stars for a long time, and has a strong history in comedy. McCarthy is one of the biggest comedy actresses today, and is really, really funny. The pairing was inspired, and it was fun watching them in these roles. Bullock is good as the straight, buttoned up character, and McCarthy is great when she's allowed to just go out of control. They work well together, playing off their differences, and over time, building a believable friendship. Their interactions on screen were the best aspect of the entire film.

The script was fine. It did have some really funny moments- I certainly found myself laughing at various points throughout the film. However, it was fairly uneven as well. There were definitely moments when I rolled my eyes and a number of jokes just fell flat. I thought the storyline was decently entertaining, but it was virtually a rehash of things we've seen dozens and dozens of times before. It felt like all the energy and focus went into the Bullock-McCarthy dynamic, and no one was especially focused on telling an interesting and engaging story. Again, no huge complaint in this department, but the story was average from start to finish. Luckily, it's the film's two stars who elevate an average script into something good.

One of the best aspects of this movie is that it's a female-led film. Female buddy action cop movies don't get made very often, so I'm glad that this film did so well at the box office. Hollywood needs to get out of their ridiculous mentality that female-led films don't make much money at the box office. While I can't say I was blown away by The Heat, it's great to see a film about strong women, and not just in a supporting role.

The Heat is a good comedy. I had a fairly fun time watching it, although I have to admit it's not the most memorable film. It has its flaws, but it's also an entertaining, humorous movie, and all in all, it's not a bad way to spend two hours.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



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