Review: The Heat

Buddy cop movies, or just buddy movies in general, are truly a hit or miss affair. For every Leathal Weapon or 48 Hours there is a Rush Hour and The Man. The Heat, the new Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy comedy, falls somewhere in the middle.

The Heat stars Sandra Bullock as a no nonsense FBI agent who is forced to team up with a sloppy, foul-mouthed Boston cop in order to get to the bottom of a crime. Throughout the film, there differences in style constantly clash, leading to a variety of hilarious situations.

The Heat stands out as being a very funny movie to come out in a summer that has been largely lacking in laughs, and it is a welcome change of pace.  It also helps that Bullock and McCarthy are genuinely a joy to watch play off one another.

Bullock, specifically, makes a positive impression as the straight woman of the two. I was thoroughly impressed by her ability to successfully deliver comedy. On many occasions, I felt that she even overshadowed the more comedically-minded McCarthey in her ability to successfully land a joke and just be funny in general. A few particularly humorous scenes, one in a night club and another in a bar, are great at illustrating Bullocks obvious comedic talent.

While my praise for Bullock is higher, I won’t take away too much from McCarthey, as she did do well with her rough, trash-talking character.  It’s certainly a step up for her from something like Identity Thief. Hopefully she will chose parts with better humor like this, possibly leading her on a path back to the glory days of Bridesmaids.

And speaking of the humor in the movie, I give credit to the writers for crafting a slew of hysterical moments, as there are many jokes peppered throughout the movie, and almost all of them hit really well. This is something that can’t be said for some other comedies in recent months.

It may not be a comedy classic, and the plot may be a bit thin, but you’ll be too busy laughing at The Heat to care about any of its flaws or shortcomings, and it serves as a wonderful pick me up from an otherwise disappointing summer movie season that is otherwise almost completely devoid of laughs.