After the
runaway success of Bridesmaids,
Melissa McCarthy has become one of the most universally beloved personalities
in Hollywood, and even though I have never watched CBS’ Mike & Molly, between her guest roles and interviews, there is
no denying that the woman is a master of physical and ad-libbed comedy. And in terms of public perception, if there
is a male counterpart to McCarthy, it has to be Jason Bateman, who between Arrested Development and Horrible Bosses has demonstrated both
flawless comedic timing and an unmistakably likable personality. So, when you stop to think about it, putting
these two together was an absolute no-brainer and almost guaranteed to truly
impressive box office haul. But when
Universal decided to shift the opening of Identity
Thief from the highly-coveted May release schedule to the cinematic
wasteland that is February, a few red flags arose. 2013 has thus-far failed to produce a truly
funny comedy, so even if a majority of this buddy/road film’s potential was
squandered, the pairing of McCarthy and Bateman still represented a treat that
shouldn’t be missed.
Offering
up some considerable laughs while showcasing and reinforcing the talent of its
headliners, Identity Thief is rewardingly funny, but clearly relies too heavily
on the inherent likability of McCarthy and Bateman. Aside from a handful of wild scenarios, the
narrative is plagued with overly convenient story progressions and thoroughly
useless subplots that are annoyingly distracting and offer no resolution
whatsoever. The filmmakers inexplicably
decided to abandon the initially lighthearted focus of this comedy in favor of
an attempt to inject some drama and pathos into the script, but the end result
just leads to unbelievable character development. For instance, as the “victim,” Jason Bateman
is far too forgiving after having his life destroyed, while McCarthy, the “thief,”
so rapidly seeks redemption after showing no remorse that the audience may get
whiplash…I’m not buying any of it. Fans
can appreciate that McCarthy and Bateman tried their best to save a sub-par
project, but make no mistake, there have been far stronger road comedies in the
past.
Overall
Recommendation: Medium
