Paul Feig’s The Heat answers the question as to whether a picture can simply coast on the charms of its personable leading ladies Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. That answer, for the most part, is yes. This buddy cop comedy displays all the hallmarks of the genre with the notable exception of said cops being female. We’ve had countless examples of male-driven movies in this category from Lethal Weapon to Bad Boys to Rush Hour to The Other Guys and so forth. As far as I can recall, there’s more examples of male cop/dog cop genre pics than straight up female buddy cop entries. Only 1988’s long-forgotten Feds with Rebecca DeMornay and Mary Gross springs to mind.
Bridesmaids director Feig changes that here and enlists some big stars to headline it. Bullock plays Sarah Ashburn, the uptight FBI agent forced to team up with foul-mouthed and streetwise Boston cop Mullins (McCarthy). Both think their brand of law enforcement is the best method and they’re naturally diametrically opposed… so let the hijinks ensue!
There’s really nothing about the plot that separates The Heat from its counterparts in the genre. Let’s face it – it’s pretty tough to bring much new to the buddy cop flick. That’s where Bullock and McCarthy are able to make this fairly worthwhile. The duo is chasing after a group of drug runners and there’s a mole either in the FBI or Boston PD that they’re trying to nab. All this plot stuff is incidental, however.
McCarthy exploded onto the movie scene with her Oscar-nominated turn in 2011’s Bridesmaids. She deserved the nomination and I’ve used one particular scene in that pic with Kristin Wiig as an example of Movie Perfection previously on the blog.
Here McCarthy is given some humorous scenes with her dysfunctional family who haven’t forgiven her for sending her own criminal brother (Michael Rapaport) to the slammer.
Yet it’s the chemistry of the two stars that makes or breaks The Heat and Bullock does a commendable job as the straight woman. Throughout her career, Bullock has shown a keen ability with dramas and comedy. This film gives her the opportunity to show those chops in something other than a rom com.
There’s a whole lotta familiar territory to find here. Since Agent Ashburn is the tightly wound cop, it’s up to Mullins to get her drunk and they’re eventually getting the whole bar to dance to Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart”. Ashburn’s loner personality is explained because – well, she was a foster child (of course). The ladies learn that the old trick of holding a suspect over a balcony doesn’t always go as planned.
Bullock and McCarthy, though, have a winning chemistry and they manage to often rise above the cliched material and allow The Heat to be a mildly entertaining experience. Their fans should be mostly pleased. This isn’t like the previously mentioned The Other Guys that both satirizes the genre while also being an entry in it. That pic worked much better because audiences know all the tricks of buddy cop pics and The Other Guys had fun with it. The Heat is more safe and serviceable. And the two leads do just enough to make it tolerable.
**1/2 (out of four)
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