There is nothing original about the cop buddy movie The Heat. There is an uptight cop and a crazy cop, and there is a bad guy that no one can seem to catch until this mis-matched pair puts aside their differences in order to git r’ done against all odds.
Oh, gosh, except that it stars TWO WOMEN!!! In the world of mainstream Hollywood, that is some sort of fancy alchemy, because, really, who would have ever though of such a thing (except, oh, I don’t know… television?!?!). I mean, seriously. I’m so tired of reading the media hype about how a film that happens to star females becomes a “surprise” success. It’s the next trend! Women! So much so that the studio heads take notice and start greenlighting, well, more superhero movies starring male crimefighters that only comic book fanboys have ever heard of. But I digress.
Is it any surprise that teaming Melissa McCarthy (who has been red-hot since Bridesmaids), and tried-and-true America’s Bumbling Sweetheart Sandra Bullock together is simply brilliant? McCarthy plays the crazy-town loose cannon, a no-nonsense Boston cop named Mullins who manhandles her suspects until they cry for mercy. Bullock is the severely buttoned-down FBI agent who comes to town and is forced to work with Mullins on a case. She’s so tight that she can’t even curse properly. Styles clash, and hilarity ensues.
I can’t say that The Heat is a particularly good movie–it actually is a bit too long and rambly, and could use a tight edit to nix the scenes that drag. And That-Nice-Sandy-Bullock should have been allowed to loosen up much earlier in the film (come on, she’s hawt when she goes badass!). But you know what? I laughed through the whole thing. Bullock and McCarthy are a great pair, and are both fabulous physical comedians that are not afraid to look silly. Try not to snort when McCarthy flips over the top of a fence and lands flat on her back (OUCH!), or when Bullock slithers limply out of a wheelchair and drags herself slowly across the floor in her attempt at a sneaky ambush.
I read that The Heat was already set for a sequel months before the film even hit the theaters. If true, sign me up!
