The Heat

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Damian Bichir
Director: Paul Feig

The Heat was somewhat a highly publicized movie (Face it, there isn't a recent article where The Heat is not attached to Sandra Bullock or Melissa McCarthy's name. That itself makes publicity). Besides knowing that it's an action/comedy flick, there's not much I knew of it. So when this was showing, my sister and I totally abandoned our previous movie plans and went for this. It's Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, what could go wrong? There was going to be crazy antics and explosions; those had to be fun. While the movie has its flaws, and it felt a bit too long, it made for some fun entertainment, watching Bullock and McCarthy exchange lines as two women with different comedic backgrounds take the stage for their first flick together.

It's a typical cop movie, good guys vs bad guys. Sarah Ashburn is an uptight FBI agent who always does things the old fashioned way. When she got assigned to a drug dealer case in Boston, she butts heads with Shannon Mullins, a local detective who pries into the business of arresting the dealer. They start their investigation, and while trying to catch the bad guy, learns more about the other and eventually becomes friends. Basically I just told you how it's going to end, but isn't that predictable in its own right? 

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are two actresses that have a different take on comedy. While McCarthy is naturally loud and bold, Bullock passes her comic chops through the semi-outrageous things she does. She always starts out prim and proper, but whenever she delivers her funny moments, it still feels strained. I personally think that these roles are not challenging, and are somewhat written with them in mind. Bullock always played uptight characters, and I don't recall seeing her in anything that required her to be outgoing and not limited with her actions. McCarthy, on the other hand, has always played the flamboyant character, whether it's subtle or theatrical. How you see Bullock in her romantic comedies, and how you see McCarthy in her comedies are exactly what you see in this buddy movie. However, their difference in personality compliments each other, as what it was meant to do. 

While it makes for a good buddy cop flick, I found it a bit too long. There were certain scenes that ran way too long, jokes included. It did solicit a few laughs, but I felt that the comedy was being forced. It was just staring at your facing, saying 'you should laugh at this, this is funny'. The actresses have their own names in the industry and it's nice how no one was stealing any thunder. McCarthy did steal all the content when it came to characterization, but she did not overshadow Bullock's presence in the flick. Despite not having a wonderful script, these two have some chemistry and are great on screen partners. This movie may be a mess, but it will make money.

This is the kind of movie that you enjoy for the sake of enjoying it. It has two great and talented women leading the flick, and you get a good line up of supporting characters. It's not blown out funny, but still entertaining.