The Heat

 A great actor's charm can elevate average material. Such is the case with The Heat, a film that is carried by Bullock and McCarthy's raw talent. I feel that without the two leads, the movie would have felt like a gun to the head.

The Heat stars Sandra Bullock as Sarah Ashburn, a one woman working machine of a detective who just can't seem to play nice with others. But, in order to receive a promotion from her boss, she just might have to suck it up and be a team player to solve a new case with a deadly drug dealer and all of his connections. She doesn't realize how difficult this will be until she meets her partner; Shannon Mullins, played by Melissa McCarthy, who is pretty much the human equivalence of a a bulldock with her neverending love of profanity and violence to get the job done.

And if this sounds anything like Miss Congeniality 2 or any other recent cop comedy, it's probably because it is like many other recent cop comedies. You know how this will begin, with these two ready to kill each other. You know how this will be in the middle, with these two enduring through wacky situations that require them to bond. You know where the climax will go, with something job related threatening to tear the two apart and you know the ending will resolve in a big pile of goo. There's nothing you won't see coming here, which isn't unforgivable if it is done effectively, but I feel The Heat's screenplay lets it down.

The Heat's biggest issue is the lackluster and obvious script. I feel the dialogue comes off as terribly contrived and forced. There's too many scenes of just tedious profanity (and this is coming from someone that's enamored with profanity) and too many scenes of bland threats that shoot for humor but just come across as overachieving. I felt like at times this movie resembled an average sitcom that would probably start and stop within a two week period. There's just nothing terribly special here going on in terms of wit or humor.

Luckily though, The Heat's leads have a natural flair for humor. Sandra Bullock has played this role many times but luckily she has it down perfectly. Her character is reminiscent of many of Bullock's other roles but she plays the role with charm and humor. And when the script isn't overworking her character, McCarthy shines as the tough as nails but oddly loveable match to Bullock's tight demeanor. When the two leads are able to play themselves, they shine. But when The Heat's script turns these women's performances into caricatures, The Heat's flame burns out.

2/4