Identity Thief 
Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, T.I., Genesis Rodriguez, Amanda Peet, John Cho, Jon Favreu, Morris Chestnut, Robert Patrick, Eric Stonestreet
Directed by Seth Gordon
Rated: R
Run Time: 112 mins
Genre: Comedy/ Crime
Opens February 8th
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Another film we checked out this week is the comedy "Identity Thief" starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy. This film has some heavy hitting comedy creatives behind it as the director of "Horrible Bosses" Seth Gordon, the screenwriter of "The Hangover Part II" Craig Mazin and producer of "Ted" Scott Stuber have teamed up for this unconventional comedy.
One of the worst feeling in the world is when you realize that something has been stolen from you. Much to Sandy Peterson's (Jason Bateman) chagrin, his identity has just been stolen. Not by a man with similar physical features, age range or lifestyle but by a woman in Florida who likes to shop a lot, party and punch people in the neck. Meet fake Sandy Bigelow Peterson (Melissa McCarthy), the one with a warrant for his/her arrest for skipping her court date. When the police in Colorado show up to arrest the male Sandy, he pleads with the detectives to convince them that he was the wrong Sandy. Unfortunately, the female Sandy stole his entire identity, charging up his credit cards and putting Sandy's new job in jeopardy.
Male Sandy works out a deal with the police, if he can get this fraud to confess to her crimes in Colorado, she can be brought up on charges for identity theft, clearing the real's Sandy's name. All He needs to do is bring her to the Colorado police. Sounds easy enough, right?
Wrong! As soon as male Sandy tracks down the female "Sandy", a.k.a. Diana, she proves she's not going down without a fight, nor does she actually even care what her actions have done to others. Many hi-jinks ensue and eventually 2 henchmen, Julian (T.I.) and Marisol (Genesis Rodriguez), for incarcerated crime boss Paulo (Jonathan Banks) and a bounty hunter, Skiptracer (Robert Patrick) are hot on Sandy and Diana's trail. Will Sandy be able to get Diana to Colorado to clear his name or will this trip be a total bust?
For such an unlikely paring, the duo of Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy make a brilliant comedy team. McCarthy is a genius at physical comedy and when going head to head with Bateman's dry sarcasm, what looks like an unusual comedy delivers quite a few laughs, gaps and screams of disbelief. A screwball comedy that keeps rising the stakes delivers on the comedy, making this a must see for comedy lovers. If you thought McCarthy was hilarious in "Bridesmaids", she kicks the comedy into high gear and doesn't stop until the credits roll. It was interesting to see so many actors primarily known for their television comedy or more serious film roles chops pull out some strong supporting roles for Sandy and Diana's road trip. Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) as Big Chuck, Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgement Day), and Jonathan Banks as Paulo (Breaking Bad). Overall, the first great comedy of 2013 that is one not to miss. Be sure to check "Identity Thief" when it opens in theaters nationwide starting Friday February 8, 2013.
