Identity Thief Movie Review

Trying to make an identity thief a likable character? Probably something that sounds really impossible, and at times I didn't think Identity Thief would be able to pull it off, but somehow it did. Maybe that's more credit to how funny and just downright lovable Melissa McCarthy is than the movie itself. Identity Thief stars McCarthy and Jason Bateman, and to make a long story short McCarthy steals Bateman's identity and is living it up down in Florida. She's buying way too much stuff for one person and is having way too good a time doing it that you almost begin to kind of envy her a little. Only a little bit. I mean, she is a criminal, right? Who would want to buy anything they ever wanted and get away with it, most of the time? Anyway, in order for him to get his job and financial name back, he has to go down to Florida and bring her back to his home in Colorado.  It really doesn't make all that much sense if this were a real world situation, but, it's a stupid-comedy. We just go with it. It sets the movie up as another road trip comedy with two people who don't want anything to do with one another, and we get all of the obligatory road trip type jokes that we've seen before, yet they're still pretty funny no matter how many times we've seen them.

The great thing about Identity Thief is that both Bateman and McCarthy are both really, really funny in pretty much everything that they do. Also, both are really likable as well. The only problem is that they both play pretty much the same characters in all of their movies. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, (if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?) but what if the roles were reversed? We've seen McCarthy as this outspoken, sassy do-it-all-myself woman before in movies like Bridesmaids, and Bateman's hard working family man in stuff like Horrible Bosses. But what if this time McCarthy was the victim and Bateman was the con? I think it could have been great to see these two kind of step out of their element a little bit into a role they're not all that familiar with. It's not to say that the movie isn't funny enough as is, but it could have made it a little more unique if the roles were reversed. 

If I'm thinking correctly, other than the TV show Mike & Molly this is McCarthy's first starring role in a movie. She has another movie coming out in April co-starring Sandra Bullock titled The Heat, which looks pretty funny as well. The success or failure of these two movies will kind of be a good indication of if McCarthy has what it takes to be a leading lady in movies, or is going to be the type of actress destined for supporting roles her whole career. I think she could be a great comedy star as long as she picks the right movies, and doesn't just do any comedy where she's getting the lead role.

Like I said before we've seen this kind of road trip comedy before, but the movie tries to make it different by bringing in a plot point of having several hit men after McCarthy. I guess it makes sense in the context of the movie, seeing that she's stolen other people's identities and probably pissed off a lot of people. But, to be honest there's no reason for it to be in the movie, and it just makes Identity Thief drag on in a few spots. You can have an enjoyable road trip movie without someone chasing someone. The movie is two hours long, and I honestly can't think of a reason why it couldn't be thirty minutes shorter. When I come to see a movie like Identity Thief, I'm not seeing it for its aesthetic quality or for it to make me think. I'm coming to see it because I want to laugh and have an enjoyable time. While there are some really funny moments in the movie, the sub plot with the hit men really makes the movie drag. There should be a requirement that stupid but enjoyable comedies like Identity Thief are no more than 90 minutes long, unless you can prove that you can keep the pace of the movie going without much of a hiccup along the way. 

Even though this is mostly designed as a straight up comedy, there are some really touching moments towards the end where McCarthy and Bateman bond and you think okay, I guess I can kind of see why this woman would feel the need to steal people's identities and ruin their entire lives for her own benefit. The movie ends with some pretty touching scenes that almost don't feel like they belong in this type of movie, but they work because McCarthy and Bateman do a good job of making them seem true to the characters that they're playing. 

Even though there's some plot issues and it's not exactly a rip-roaring comedy that will have you falling out of your seat, Identity Thief is a good time. This is the type of movie that you just sit back and enjoy and try not to think about too much. It's pretty forgettable, but it it's enjoyable enough while you're watching it. McCarthy is great, Bateman is good, and they work really well together. It's just not quite good enough for me to say that you need to go see this movie right now. It is what it is, and that's pretty much all we want it to be. 

Has Its Moments