The Heat - Movie Review: Lukewarm frothy potboiler
Reviews
oi-IANS
By Ians English
This
one
is
a
vodka
shot!
You
gulp
it
down
in
one
go
and
you
wait
to
realise
that
it
has
hit
your
funny
bone.
Conventionally
speaking,
the
buddy
cop
movie
is
the
domain
of
men.
The
formula
here
is
nothing
new.
You
have
seen
it
many
times
before,
but
the
pairing
of
Sandra
Bullock
and
Melissa
McCarthy
is
what
makes
you
warm
up
to
The
Heat.
While
hedging
for
a
promotion,
the
prudish
FBI
Special
Agent
from
New
York,
Sarah
Ashburn
(Sandra
Bullock),
a
methodical
investigator
with
a
reputation
for
showmanship
and
arrogance,
is
forced
to
partner
Boston
street-level
officer
Shannon
Mullins
(Melisa
McCarthy)
to
track
down
a
drug
lord
before
his
next
big
shipment
comes
in.
What
keeps
you
amused
is
to
see
how
the
straight-laced
Ashburn
deals
with
a
foul-mouthed,
uncouth
Mullins,
especially
when
they
start
off
on
the
wrong
foot.
What
follows
is
that
Ashburn
gets
a
directive
to
allow
Mullins'
involvement
in
her
case
and
neither
is
initially
pleased.
However,
Ashburn's
buttoned-up
tactics
paired
with
Mullins'
penchant
for
gun
waving
unite
the
two
in
a
reluctant
mutual
respect.
Then
slowly,
in
a
formulaic
process,
they
bond
over
drinks,
family
matters,
passion
and
commitment
towards
their
job.
With
a
variation
in
the
plot
points
and
set-ups,
there
is
nothing
that
you've
never
witnessed
before,
but
it's
how
it
is
presented
that
makes
you
chuckle.
Slapstick
Comedy
Moments
It's
the
fine
moments
of
slapstick
comedy
that
sticks
out
in
phases.
And
one
such
moment
is
how
Shannon
deals
with
her
undertrials
and
plays
Russian
roulette
to
extract
information.
The
stake
is
high,
and
the
moment
priceless.
It
keeps
you
in
splits.
Bullock-McCarthy
Chemistry
The
chemistry
between
Bullock
and
McCarthy
is
what
brings
the
screen
to
life.
McCarthy
steals
the
show
and
gets
the
maximum
laughs
for
her
shrewd
performance.
Bullock
on
the
other
hand,
with
her
restrained
onscreen
personality,
is
used
as
a
foil
character
that
ups
McCarthy's
presence.
All
the
others
in
the
cast,
though
they
performed
well,
were
only
doing
their
part.
None
had
"their" moment
of
glory.
Script
And
Dialogues
Kattie
Dippold's
script
is
lukewarm
and
does
not
gather
momentum
to
give
a
boiling
point.
The
dialogues
are
staid.
The
gags,
especially
the
Mullins' family
get-together
scene
seemed
very
obligatory
and
forced,
so
did
the
escapade
hungama.
The
Heat
-
Verdict
Coming
from
director
Paul
Feig,
who
had
previously
given
us
the
fabulous
Oscar
nominated
Bridesmaids,
The
Heat,
with
its
odd-couple-cops
and
a
vague
drug-bust
plot,
is
a
big
letdown.
Cast
And
Crew
Director:
Paul
Feig
Cast:
Sandra
Bullock,
Melissa
McCarthy,
Demian
Bachir,
Dan
Bakkedahl,
Bill
Burr,
Jane
Curtin,
Taran
Killam,
Michael
McDonald,
Joey
McIntyre
and
Michael
Rappaport