The Heat (2013)

Film: The Heat (2013)
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demian Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, Jane Curtin
Director: Paul Feig
Oscar History: No nominations
Snap Judgment Ranking: 3/5 stars

Beating the summer heat is an integral part of the summer blockbuster season, and there is no better way to prove that than through the endless series of comedies and superhero films that infiltrate our viewing habits year-in and year-out during this season.  Case in point-I would not normally be caught in a buddy comedy, but I wanted to go out and enjoy a movie, and when you reverse the typical dynamic and add two confident actresses into the roles, I'll admit to having my curiosity piqued.

The film is a movie you know by heart, and so it relies very much on the star power of its two lead actresses.  The movie is about an uptight FBI agent (Bullock) named Gracie Hart...err, Sarah Ashburn, who is great at her job, but not at relating to her coworkers.  She is sent to Boston to take down a drug lord, and by circumstances that would only happen in a movie, ends up being paired with a by-her-own-rules local cop named Shannon Mullins (McCarthy).

The movie follows your typical buddy comedy Odd Couple formula, with Bullock being the straight-laced, no friends woman who borrows her neighbor's cat for companionship, with McCarthy the local cop, at odds with her larger-than-life family, consistently profane and unable to admit that she would like a friend in her weapons-filled, booze-laden world.

The movie moves along at a pace you'd expect, with multiple twists, "you're off the cases," and at least one character having to seduce a villain in order to get a bug in his phone.  I loved some of the comic side characters, particularly Kaitlin Olson's coked-out prostitute, Marlon Wayans crushing-on-Bullock agent, and McCarthy's real-life husband Ben Falcone as one of her several one-night stands to show up in the movie.  The movie's twists were fairly obvious (everyone should have guessed whom the surprise villain was by the end of the movie), but these comic elements added quite a bit.

Additionally, it was great to see McCarthy and Bullock owning the screen.  Both stars have a natural charisma that seems to be greatly beloved by American audiences today.  Bullock, who continues to have a fountain-of-youth complexion considering her 49 years, finds her characters inner-confidence and still breathes great charm into her line readings, despite this being a portrayal she could pull off in her sleep.  I'm supremely excited to see her test her acting mettle later this year in Alfonso Cuaron's sensational-looking Gravity, but this Bullock, with her quick lines and great reactions, is always welcome.

Additionally, don't you love the big screen star that Melissa McCarthy has become?  After years of shows like Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who, where she played second fiddle and was beloved by the cult fans of those shows, she's now an Emmy Winner and Oscar nominee, and a bonafide Box Office sensation, considering that Identity Thief made $134 million earlier this year and The Heat is poised to open with an even bigger haul than that film.  McCarthy's comic timing is perfect, and you find yourself laughing uncontrollably at even the most throwaway of asides.  While I hope she continues to get leading roles, I would love to see her get challenged a bit at some point, in a similar way to Bullock with The Blind Side and Gravity, as her quieter moments on Gilmore Girls showed a vulnerability and even occasional dramatic pacing that might pleasantly surprise us, and perhaps even Oscar.

The film is not without faults, not least of which is the cliched script, and the way that we know exactly what is coming, but it's still worth the investment.  For a site that prides itself on pointing out the many, many films and television series that miss the Bechdel Test and don't feature women in strong leading roles, it's refreshing to see two women get the leads in a movie (think about how rare that is for a second-I can only think of two Bullock films prior to this that she shared lead billing with a fellow actress-Divine Secrets with Ellen Burstyn and Ashley Judd and Practical Magic with Nicole Kidman). This helps in breaking up the monotony of the cliches, and Bullock and in particular McCarthy effervesce with so much star charisma that it's hard to put the film down.  I'm giving it three out of five stars, because I would recommend the movie for those who want some escapist fun, even if it doesn't live up to the madcap enjoyability of Bridesmaids or Miss Congeniality.

Those were my thoughts-what are yours about The Heat?  Did you like the two being paired together?  Do you also wish McCarthy would stretch herself as an actress?  And how many days are left until Gravity gets released?!?