Review #12: The Heat

The Heat

Release Date: June 28th, 2013
Writer: Katie Dippold
Director: Paul Feig

Logline: An uptight FBI Special Agent is paired with a foul-mouthed Boston cop to take down a ruthless drug lord. (Source: IMDb) Action/Comedy, 117 min.
Bechdel Test: Passed all three tests.

Review
Thank god for a comedy. We're not even 2 months into this blog and I'm already sick of trite romance and melodrama.

The Heat is a modern buddy-cop film with a classic story but fresh jokes, and great leads, making it one of the best comedies from 2013. Even though this has two women driving the roles, old stereotypes and jokes about female cops are still present. Frankly, that's the most refreshing part of this movie. It might be unusual to see a female-driven action/comedy, but it's not done with kiddy gloves. There's not mission statement trying to prove that sexism doesn't exist, or that women are equal in the workplace. It's just a funny movie with funny ladies.

As relieved as I was to watch this film again, it's still not a perfect movie. It's about 30 minutes too long, and most of the side characters are paper thin. The clear direction for comedy this decade has been for absurd characters in absurd scenarios, and a massive amount of 'jokes per page'. Perhaps this film would rank higher if the plot became more outlandish like This Is The End, but it stays true to maintaining a potentially realistic police story-line, which is painfully predictable at times.

On the positive side of things, this is the funniest Sandy has been since Miss Congeniality, which also featured the same fish-out-of-water comedy. I think she would thrive if she had the opportunity to do the extreme awkwardness like something Kristen Wiig would do, but I'm not going to complain about her starring in movies like Gravity instead. This is by far best and funniest performance I've seen from Melissa McCarthy. She shines, riffing off the tough cop role. She doesn't spend the movie making fat jokes like on her show Mike and Molly, but rather does some fantastic characterization like crawling through her window after being forced into a compact parking space.

Brilliant comedy casting brings in some fantastic supporting characters, like the always funny Tony Hale. Kaitlin Olson was another scene stealer as the aggressive Bulgarian prostitute Tatiana. Mullins big Boston family was a comedy treasure trove, but NKOTB member Joey McIntyre was a clear standout. Despite the other more recognizable comedians in his scene, he stands out with absolutely hysterical accent and mannerisms. It's unfortunate that so many great comedians are sprinkled throughout this film but it was Marlon Wayans, Michael McDonald, and Taran Killiam that disappoint, bringing nothing to their characters. In all fairness, the Marlon Wayans's character is the exact character most women would play in this type of movie with two male leads, and perhaps this will help shed light on the importance of interesting roles for women.

This is a great movie to watch if you want to laugh out loud at some absurdities. Don't watch it for the plot, watch it for the funny women. It's a perfect summer popcorn flick.

Portrayal of Women: They are stereotypes but this whole movie is about stereotypes. I love the ownership of those cheesy characters, and making them badass and unique.

Sisterhood Moment: This whole movie is a sisterhood moment. But what women doesn't laugh at Sandy cuddling with her cat, only to realize that it's not her cat at all. She stole it from her neighbors. We've all got a little bit of 'Crazy Cat Lady' inside of us.

Rating 3/5

IMDb - The Heat (6.7)
Wikipedia - The Heat
Rotten Tomatoes - The Heat (66%)