The Heat
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, Jane Curtin, Michael Tucci, Thomas F. Wilson, Taran Killam, Michael McDonald
Directed by: Paul Feig
Rated: R
Run Time: 117 mins
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Crime
Opens June 28th
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Usually New Yorkers and Bostonians are mortal enemies until they are forced to worked together. FBI Agent Sarah Ashburn is from the New York office sent to Boston to help close a case on a notorious drug lord. If she does well on this case, she will be up for a very big promotion. Agent Ashburn is not known for her people or social skills as she is normally uptight, arrogant and over-eager to prove herself. When she gets to Boston to interview her first suspect, she meets her match in Officer Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), a no-nonsense, loose cannon personality whose bull-in-a-china-shop antics constantly override Ashburn's tactical training and procedures.
Ashburn is forced to partner up with Officer Mullins and time is of the essence on this case. Officer Mullin’s brother Jason (Michael Rapaport) is about to be released from prison and she fears that he may go right back into his old lifestyle dealing drugs. Afterall, she was the one who arrested him in the first place. Can Ashburn and Mullins put aside their differences long enough to close the case or will it all go down in flames endangering their lives and loved ones?
When you team up two masters of physical comedy such as Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock, the potential for laughs is tremendous. The chemistry between the two is explosive; mixing elements of “Miss Congeniality”, “Identity Thief” and “Bridesmaids”, these two women really know how to pull off excellent characters. Director Paul Feig puts a new spin on the “good cop/ bad cop” shtick by giving two females a chance to play out their comedic talents and aggressive competitiveness. Although these two had fantastic chemistry, the rest of the story line fell flat in the pacing, taking time too much time to get the momentum to build. the remaining cast members were under utilized as it would have been nice to see more of the Mullin’s family or with the bar patrons. Some of the gags ran longer than they should, but it does pay off in the end as the story pushes past predictability and goes into uncomfortable comedy boundaries. Just a fair warning to parents, that this film is heavy on the profanity, so it’s best to leave kids out of the theater on this one. Catch “The Heat” when it opens in theaters nationwide starting Friday June 28, 2013.
