The Heat:
Sarah Ashburn is an FBI Special Agent, stationed in New York City, who is transferred to Boston to work on a case involving a group of violent drug traders. Ashburn is not well liked by coworkers as she is somewhat awkward and is very arrogant and likes to show off, due to her crime-solving skills. She is forced to partner with the abrasive and alcoholic Detective Shannon Mullins, who is her opposite. She's crude, swears constantly, does things that are probably illegal, disrespects coworkers, and is also, generally disliked by her boss and those around her. They eventually grown on each other and become best friends and vow to take down the sadistic drug dealers, especially when Mullins' family gets involved. This movie really surprised me with how funny it actually is. They hit you with joke after joke after joke, and it's really fun to watch. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy have really good chemistry together. There's actually some genuinely touching moments between them. Marlon Wayans appears as Levy, an FBI Agent who assists Ashburn on the case, and they are shown to have some romantic chemistry together, possibly this will be expanded if the film gets a sequel, which it probably will. The rest of the cast includes Demian Bichir (Che, Savages, A Better Life, American Visa, Machete Kills), Dan Bakkedahl (The Daily Show, Veep, Legit), Tom Wilson (best known as Biff Tannen and his relatives in the Back to the Future Trilogy, as well as appearing in Freaks and Geeks, which Paul Feig was also involved in), Michael Rapaport (Boston Public, True Romance, Prison Break, Cop Land, The War At Home), Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep), Taran Killam (MADtv, Scrubs, The Amanda Show, SNL), Nate Corddry (brother of Rob Corddry, Nate was on The Daily Show, Harry's Law, and The Pacific), Kaitlin Olson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Michael McDonald (best known for his work on MADtv), and comedian Bill Burr. The cast do a great job, especially Bullock, McCarthy, Wayans, McDonald, and Bakkedahl. Bakkedahl portrays an albino DEA agent who everyone distrusts due to albinos being portrayed as creepy villains in pop media (this is referenced early on when Ashburn watches films such as The Matrix Reloaded and Foul Play on cable, which feature albino antagonists.) McCarthy's comedian husband Ben Falcon makes a cameo in the film (like he did in Bridesmaids and Identity Thief) as an ex-boyfriend of Mullins. The film was directed by Paul Feig, who directed the comedic blockbuster/Oscar-nominee Bridesmaids (McCarthy starred in that as well, that was also her breakout movie), as well as directing several episodes of The Office and Arrested Development, and episodes of 30 Rock, Mad Men, and Packs and Recreation. Feig also created the acclaimed cult TV series Freaks and Geeks. Feig makes a cameo as a doctor in the film. Despite some moments crossing the lines of logic (such as McCarthy pulling guns on citizens in public, or trying to shoot a guy in the balls during an interrogation), the movie is pretty funny. The movie is surprisingly graphic, with bloody headshots and bullet wounds. This doesn't detract from the humor too much, but The Other Guys was funnier than this (not saying this movie is bad, though) and it didn't need bloody headshots and tons of profanity, it just needed funny jokes and a lot of wit, though it could be really crass, too. But besides that, this movie is entertaining and funny as hell, and I would definitely say it's one of the best buddy cop comedies, but not the best. It's not as good as say Other Guys or Hot Fuzz or 21 Jump Street, but it's better than the Rush Hour movies (but they're enjoyable, too, in their own way). The chemistry between the two female leads carries the movie really well, and Feig seems to really do well with these female-oriented comedies. But just because it's female-oriented doesn't mean guys won't love it, too. In fact, Bridesmaids and Magic Mike, movies supposedly geared towards women, are enjoyable for both genders (just get past the stripping bits in Mike) In fact, Bridesmaids is far superior to it's competitor back in 2011: The Hangover Part II. But back on subject, the soundtrack for the film is also good, mixing rap, classic rock, and hard rock. The action scenes are pretty enjoyable, too, but the main focus isn't on the action, it's on the humor, and even if the plot is a little thin, The Heat is an enjoyable, hilarious, bad-ass buddy cop comedy, and I hope to see more of the duo and supporting characters in later films, and more from Paul Feig. 4/5 stars.
Notes: The film is a buddy cop comedy, like Hot Fuzz, The Other Guys, and 21 Jump Street, but it does not parody police procedural dramas or the buddy cop subgenre. The film contains a clever reference to Training Day. There is a joke during the credits. If you look closely at the cast, it lists actress Jessica Chaffin as Gina, Mullins' brother's idiotic girlfriend. It then lists Jessica Chaffin's boobs in the dignified role of "Gina's boobs".
(Image: Wikipedia)Here's another review I enjoyed, spoiler free:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFqsEK3ydnY
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