Distributor: Universal Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office: #1 with $34,551,025
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $70,725,000
Gross Revenue: $70,950,372
Production Budget: $35 million
Director: Seth
Gordon
When it comes to the road film comedy, the gold
standard against which all others are measured is Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and save a few notable exceptions,
like Due Date, Hollywood has had
trouble replicating the success and quality of that benchmark. Based on the behind-the-camera pedigree of those
involved, it seemed like Identity Thief
would be able to revive some mass interest in the sub-genre, as director Seth
Gordon definitely hit a home run with Horrible
Bosses, and producer Scott Stuber wowed audiences with Ted. In terms of the
mismatched pairing that would help drive this buddy comedy, Jason Bateman has
more than proven his competency on the big screen, and even though Melissa
McCarthy hasn’t had a main role since Bridesmaids,
she has been a notable scene stealer in other projects (as the gag reel for This is 40 proved this past Holiday
Season). The strong fan-bases for both
of these headliners would be a dominant presence in the ticket lines, but
regardless, Universal’s marketing department still went out of its way to
generate mass awareness, as you couldn’t turn on a television in the weeks
leading up to release without seeing the wild trailer. As a fan of both actors, there was no way I
was going to miss Identity Thief, and
after the failed attempt of Movie 43
to inject some legitimate laughs into January, I was positive that mass
audiences were going to show up as well, looking forward to a good laugh.
Identity
Thief introduces audiences to straight-laced financial
advisor Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), an honest family man who has his world
turned upside down when career con artist Diana (Melissa McCarthy) steals all
of his personal information and starts running up credit card debt and police
warrants in his name. Frustrated by the
lack of motivation from the Denver police, Sandy, after some minimal detective
work, discovers that Diana is based in Florida and resolves to bring her back
with him so that she can answer for her crimes and set the record straight. Though Sandy locates Diana with relative
ease, the criminal is understandably reluctant to return, that is until violent
local gangsters Julian (T.I.) and Marisol (Genesis Rodríguez) arrive and force
the pair to flee for safety, a task made all the more difficult as the single
identity shared by the two makes flying impossible. Forced to take to the road, Sandy and Diana
run across all manner of colorful characters on their journey, including
unconventional businessman Big Chuck (Eric Stonestreet) and psychotic bounty
hunter Skiptracer (Robert Patrick), in the process learning more about each
other and growing closer. As Diana
begins feeling remorse for the damage she has caused Sandy and his family,
Sandy has a crisis of conscience as to whether he should truly turn-in the
woman who stole from him, as her crimes seem more misguided than genuinely
malevolent.
Though the erratic script of Identity Thief leaves plenty to be desired, the all-star cast
thankfully gives plenty of effort to ensure that the potential of this comedy
doesn’t completely flat line. It should
come as absolutely no surprise that Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy are at
the top of their respective games with this buddy comedy, playing and
ad-libbing off each other with razor-sharp wit that generates some big laughs. The two are just so inherently likable that
their mere presence on screen will keep a smile on your face, and the sheer
level of physical comedy from McCarthy proves that the talented actress can
offer far much more than the persona she first introduced in Bridesmaids; anyone calling her a
one-hit-wonder is gravely mistaken. And
as for the supporting cast, where some of the talent involved was clearly
wasted, Eric Stonestreet and Robert Patrick deliver the best performances that
their respective characters would allow, setting up some truly wacky scenarios
and holding their own against the revered A-listers. But sadly, despite all the star power
involved, Identity Thief is still
plagued with a mediocre script that introduces distracting and unresolved
subplots that pervert overall tone and squander opportunities for stronger
jokes.
Despite the fact that Identity Thief isn’t a complete disaster, things could have gone
much smoother had the narrative shied away from introducing unnecessary pathos
and instead focused on making better use of some of the bigger names
involved. Like I said in the “Short and
Sweet” review, Diana’s rapid transition to remorse for her crimes and Sandy’s
quickly-forgiving nature is far too convenient and almost ridiculously unbelievable…had
that shift in character been in the hands of any other actors than these
fan-favorites, the movie would have capsized.
And even though I praised a few members of the supporting cast, it was
disappointing to see proven comedic talents like Jon Favreau, John Cho, and
Amanda Peet, relegated to throwaway bit roles, while other subplots received
more attention without generating the expected pay-off. Again, this shortcoming isn’t necessarily the
fault of the cast; it is just a little frustrating to know that the script
added very little help to the talent, who clearly ad-libbed some of their best
lines. In the end, Identity Thief is a reliable choice if you are looking for some
genuine laughs, but true enjoyment is contingent on modifying expectations and
realizing that, by-and-large, this comedy could and should have been a much
more competent film.
As the first high-profile release of the normally
slow February box office, Identity Thief
struck the right chord with audiences, raking-in an impressive $34 million and
soundly trouncing competition for the top opening. The quality of the film may be sub-par and
generate some unfavorable word of mouth, but that should do little to slow down
this newest comedy over the extended President’s Day Holiday Weekend. Putting that fact against the modest $35
million budget, it is likely that the film will turn a nice profit even with a
virtually non-existent international presence, as no direct competitors hit the
theater for over a month. At the very
least, the staying power of Universal’s newest release will be an
unquestionable testament to the inherent draw of Bateman and McCarthy, and
spell some pretty high expectations for The
Heat, which will see McCarthy team-up with Sandra Bullock this June. For now though, Identity Thief may be a treat for fans of the main headliners, but
it doesn’t offer anything truly special that you will remember a few months
down the line.
Overall
Recommendation: Medium
