MOVIE OF THE WEEK (2/8/13): IDENTITY THIEF
"What are we staring at? The reviews and box office from The Change Up?!" Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) and Diana (Melissa McCarthy) grimace at danger in a scene from director Seth Gordon's awkward buddy comedy IDENTITY THIEF. Credit: Bob Mahoney © 2013 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, Tip "T.I." Harris, Genesis Rodriguez, Morris Chestnut, John Cho, Robert Patrick and Eric Stonestreet
WRITER(S): Craig Mazin and Jerry Eeten (story) ; Mazin (screenplay)
DIRECTOR: Seth Gordon
THE PLOT: Not-so-fresh off the heels of 2010's failed Gerard Butler/Jennifer Aniston flop The Bounty Hunter that leaves out the romantic comedy and instead goes for big, zany laughs, Identity Thief stars Jason Bateman as Sandy Bigelow Patterson, a Denver-based numbers cruncher at a big company. Sure, Harold Cornish (Jon Favreau) one of the top guys in his company, is a jerk, but then again what big boss in a power suit isn't these days, right? Anyway ... Tired of getting mistreated by Cornish, Daniel (John Cho) and some other employees decide to start their own firm – and invite Sandy to join them at a very significant pay increase. The news is great to Sandy, especially considering that his wife (Amanda Peet) is pregnant with the couple's third child.
There's just one little problem – Sandy didn't realize that the person claiming to warn him about identity theft was actually calling to steal it in the first place.
Once the bills start coming in and his credit cards start getting declined, Sandy realizes his identity has in fact been taken ... By Diana (Melissa McCarthy), a Winter Haven, Fla. resident with an affinity for loud clothes and strong drinks. After getting informed by Detective Reilly (Morris Chestnut) that he would need to get Diana to Colorado for his local police department to be able to save his job (it's a thing; they explain it in the movie), Sandy decides that's exactly what he's going to do: Travel to Florida and bring Diana back to Colorado to confess her crimes in exchange for not pressing charges.
Unfortunately, neither Sandy nor Diana is prepared for the likes of Julian (Tip "T.I." Harris) and Marisol (Genesis Rodriguez) – two hitmen working for a boss with a score to settle due to Diana's sale of some bad credit cards. Then again, they better hope Skiptracer (Robert Patrick), a bounty hunter, doesn't track them down first ...
THE TAKE: Can anyone make a decent road trip movie anymore? Hey, remember this movie? For those of you either unable or too lazy to click the link, the film in question stars Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey, Jr. as an unlikely pair who, after meeting under awkward circumstances, are thrust on a road trip together ... And hilarity (barely) ensues. If you recall, in that movie, Downey was the tightly wound straight man just trying to get home only to find himself paired up with a complete and utter (but well-meaning) idiot of a man-child he cant' shake and wouldn't ya know, ultimately ends up becoming friends with.
See where I'm going with this? If not, let me spell it out for you – Identity Thief is that movie, only in this case there's a female lead (McCarthy) who is not dumb but more clever than her even-more-uptight comic foil (Bateman). Much like that previously discussed film (which, yes, shall remain nameless unless you check the labels for this post), the jokes are much the same – overtly sexual, gross and/or corny played out in big, over-the-top situations in which the charm of the characters is supposed to override the mundane nature of the material itself. And while it works better in this movie than it did in the Downey/Galifianakis vehicle (pun intended), it still ain't working that great overall.
As anyone who saw Bridesmaids or her sitcom Mike & Molly can tell you, McCarthy has big talent. Unfortunately, watching her have to try to make filet mignon out of much of the spam that is the film's comedic material is just downright, well, sad. Bateman – who has become the older version of Michael Cera in that he plays the same guy EVERY MOVIE he's in – does his usual to ... Do his usual. (The man has a great career, knows what he's doing, but at this point in time the range he's showing is about as wide as the distance between the up and down button on your standard remote control. And it's narrowing as he goes from angry uptight guy to 'Hey, I learned something' guy each time out.)
Save for one hilarious instance in a hotel with McCarthy, Bateman and Eric Stonestreet as Big Chuck, a rambunctious cowboy, the film features just too much standard issue goofiness to stand out comedically. T.I. fans can take comfort in the fact he gets to show some (albeit limited) range with some comedic acting ... Genesis Rodriguez fans, however, might just want to look the other way for the most part. (Peete, Favreau, Chestnut and Cho are in such essentially small roles it's a wonder they just didn't pick lesser known actors at half the price.)
Overall, Identity Thief seems just like one, with – I almost said the name of the movie! – being the primary source of its crime in terms of plot, jokes and quality alike. Sure, the latter half of the film improves and features a nice heartfelt twist – which you should be able to see coming from a mile away – but it's kind of like patching a tire with a nail in it: Eventually, it's going to wear thin. Identity Thief may be an R-rated comedy ... But it's the type of R-rated comedy a stereotypical soccer mom would like since it's played so safe yet over-the-top at the same time.
See where I'm going with this? If not, let me spell it out for you – Identity Thief is that movie, only in this case there's a female lead (McCarthy) who is not dumb but more clever than her even-more-uptight comic foil (Bateman). Much like that previously discussed film (which, yes, shall remain nameless unless you check the labels for this post), the jokes are much the same – overtly sexual, gross and/or corny played out in big, over-the-top situations in which the charm of the characters is supposed to override the mundane nature of the material itself. And while it works better in this movie than it did in the Downey/Galifianakis vehicle (pun intended), it still ain't working that great overall.
As anyone who saw Bridesmaids or her sitcom Mike & Molly can tell you, McCarthy has big talent. Unfortunately, watching her have to try to make filet mignon out of much of the spam that is the film's comedic material is just downright, well, sad. Bateman – who has become the older version of Michael Cera in that he plays the same guy EVERY MOVIE he's in – does his usual to ... Do his usual. (The man has a great career, knows what he's doing, but at this point in time the range he's showing is about as wide as the distance between the up and down button on your standard remote control. And it's narrowing as he goes from angry uptight guy to 'Hey, I learned something' guy each time out.)
Save for one hilarious instance in a hotel with McCarthy, Bateman and Eric Stonestreet as Big Chuck, a rambunctious cowboy, the film features just too much standard issue goofiness to stand out comedically. T.I. fans can take comfort in the fact he gets to show some (albeit limited) range with some comedic acting ... Genesis Rodriguez fans, however, might just want to look the other way for the most part. (Peete, Favreau, Chestnut and Cho are in such essentially small roles it's a wonder they just didn't pick lesser known actors at half the price.)
Overall, Identity Thief seems just like one, with – I almost said the name of the movie! – being the primary source of its crime in terms of plot, jokes and quality alike. Sure, the latter half of the film improves and features a nice heartfelt twist – which you should be able to see coming from a mile away – but it's kind of like patching a tire with a nail in it: Eventually, it's going to wear thin. Identity Thief may be an R-rated comedy ... But it's the type of R-rated comedy a stereotypical soccer mom would like since it's played so safe yet over-the-top at the same time.
PARTING SHOT: A film that, much like the recent Super Bowl, is a lopsided affair in its first half before becoming (mildly) interesting in its second, Identity Thief is here today, gone tomorrow entertainment attempting to camouflage itself as a better movie than it is.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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