For date night, my wife picked this movie starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy.
Jason is a white collar worker who lives a very straight laced, normal life. He's got two kids, a wife, and a third kid on the way. His job sucks, but a great new future is right on his doorstep.
Enter Melissa McCarthy who steals Jason's identity, and causes enough mayhem under his name to destroy his life.
Jason decides to track her down and bring her back to the authorities, which is truly a sad commentary on our legal system's inability to adapt to criminal tactics. Anyway, hilarity ensues.
Well, not hilarity, but some mild chuckles. This film is billed as a comedy, but while there are a couple of genuinely funny moments, Melissa's story comes off as so pathetic that it almost seems like a drama. Remember how Jack Nicholson thought he was making a drama with About Schmidt? This is the opposite. It's not completely serious, but it never hits "zany" due to the very serious undertones in the film.
I mean think about it. The main characters are a very normal man trying to provide for a family whose life is being destroyed by a stranger and whom nobody will help, and a woman whose entire existence is a lie built by stealing from people and who has no life of her own.
Non-stop laughs, huh?
It's a really awkward mix of emotions, and really hamstrings the comedy.
Still, the film is entertaining. Not entertaining enough for you to see it in theaters, but good enough for a Netflix/Showtime/HBO viewing with the wife. She'll like it more than you, but you will enjoy it more than Steel Magnolias, Chocolate, The Notebook, etc.
Robert Patrick, Cam from Modern Family, and the Asian guy from the White Castle and Gitmo movies make cameos.
Identity Thief
Nice guy gets his life completely fucked over by the worst person in the world... comedy gold!
I didn't like this movie. It was too difficult to watch the worst person in the world doing her thing. I don't really give a shit that she didn't get enough hugs in her life, you know his wasn't the first life she completely fucked over and we didn't see her fixing any of those people. Thieves are scum, and need to die publicly and painfully.
I didn't like this movie. It was too difficult to watch the worst person in the world doing her thing. I don't really give a shit that she didn't get enough hugs in her life, you know his wasn't the first life she completely fucked over and we didn't see her fixing any of those people. Thieves are scum, and need to die publicly and painfully.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."