Title – The Heat (2013)
Director – Paul Feig (Bridesmaids)
Cast – Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demian Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport
Plot – FBI agent Ashburn (Bullock) must team up with wild card Boston cop Mullins (McCarthy) to solve a high profile case and win a promotion from her boss Hale (Bichir).
“If you’re not in trouble you’re not doing your job”
Review by Eddie on 18/12/2013
It’s always good to start with the good news so without further ado it’s good to announce that The Heat is a whole hippopotamus better than Melissa McCarthy’s last headliner Identity Thief but the bad news is The Heat is nowhere near the same laugh riot that director Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids was.
The Heat is a film that works largely due to the fact that the central premise of two females teamed up together in a buddy cop style format feels wholly original and the chemistry between both Bullock and McCarthy ever so slowly builds up into a very nice pairing of the softly spoken college student turned FBI agent and the rough and ready local girl not afraid to ram perps with her car or publicly demean her boss. Bullock in particular does a good job as straight laced Ashburn while McCarthy falls into the trap of using swear words as a fall back despite some pretty laugh out loud singular moments. The chemistry between Feig’s leading ladies is diminished somewhat though by the films bloated run time and uninteresting storyline.
The thread holding the mad cap antics of this mismatched pair together is slight to say the least and one feels that with a more interesting and involving plot line the film would of zipped along to its near 2 hour run time instead of merely limping towards it. Another element of the films underwhelming achievements is the use of it’s supporting actors in particular that of Demian Birchir as the head of the FBI unit and Marlon Wayans as Ashburn’s co-worker Levy, these support players barely get a chance to make a mark in the picture and proper use of their ability’s would of added life to the film.
The Heat is a film that is more enjoyable than it has rights to be, it has a lame plot and cliché galore but thanks to two committed central performances and the novelty of a female buddy cop film it has enough laughs and heart to warrant a watch and in a year in which comedy films feel flatter than a deflated balloon it’s a welcome sight to have some genuine laughs.
3 leftover subs out of 5
Related articles
- Paul Feig to make The Heat spin-off (contactmusic.com)
- Film Review | The Heat (thejournalist.ie)
- The Heat Blu-Ray Review (areyouscreening.com)
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) 
Pretty much agreed. Flaws notwithstanding The Heat is fun. And funny.
It did have a lot more laughs than many other comedies this year that is for sure!
Eddie
Bullock and McCarthy were perfect together and really made this one a laugh-riot, even when it seemed to go more towards the violence and actual police investigation of the story. Good review Eddie.
It was good casting – I myself normally can’t stand McCarthy but Bullock seemed to nullify here annoyances here.
Eddie
Cant remember if I made it all the way through this one..
I found it terrible
but good on you for finding something to like in it
You should try sit through Identity Thief, now there is a challenge!
Eddie
a great review, I completely agree with everything you say. The two leads make this generic narrative way more funnier than it should be , but it is great fun and very watchable. McCarthy can only play one character, but it does seem to work here, whereas ‘Identity thief’ is absolutely terrible.
Awesome that you concur Moody! I would say she needs to do something different very fast or else her routine will become way to stale but this was one of her better films that is for sure.
Eddie
Perhaps its not funny as one would hope, but to me it was fun. This and Gravity in the same year, but Bullock doesn’t bull around any more. No more Miss Congeniality 2 any more thank you very much.
The worlds a better place with less Miss Congeniality that is certain.
Eddie
I thought it was pretty average, maybe 2.5 out of 5 instead!
Oh close mate! It was a close call for the 3 from me as well.
Eddie
I hated that film, just watched out of the furnace and that film is a definite 10.
Oh good to hear! Super keen to see a movie with the trio of Affleck, Bale and Harrelson together, can’t be bad surely.
Eddie
It’s very different to what has been shown in the last 30 years, It has the feeling of gritty seventies realism packed full of drama which didn’t feel overly contrived. There were no car chases, shoot outs or “Big Cries”.
I’ve watched The Heat two times and it was STILL hilarious the second time. I also did a review on my thoughts about the movie, you should check it out.
Fantastic review as always.
Cheers Belle, really glad it held up on a repeat viewing. I really dug the chemistry between the two leads.
Eddie
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