I love Jason Bateman. I enjoyed Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids” and “Mike and Molly.” Putting them together in a film from the director of “Horrible Bosses” sounded like a great idea. But the finished product fails on every front.
“Identity Thief” stars Jason Bateman as family man Sandy Patterson Bigelow, a finance man itching for that promotion. Like many people each year, Sandy gets tricked into volunteering his information and ends up a victim of identity theft. After proving he wasn’t who the police had a warrant out for, Sandy goes after “Diana” (Melissa McCarthy), the woman who has stolen his identity and ruined his credit. Left with little other choice, Sandy must bring her to the police himself in order to clear his name. What follows is the road trip of their misadventures.
I didn’t see this being a road trip movie until I saw the set-up. Great, another movie about a straight-faced man and a wacky person attempt to get somewhere before the deadline. Going in with guarded up optimistic expectations, I was hoping for elements of Bateman and McCarthy riffing off each other. What the movie is completely lets me down. There is not a single original thought or joke that didn’t feel forced or fall flat. Comedies should make you laugh, and this one just left me with a headache.
The only thing more surprising about the low quality of this movie is how popular it has become. It has grossed over $100 million so far, making it the first movie release of 2013 to do so. I don’t see why. The film is waste of its star’s talents. Skip it. 1 out of 5 stars.
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