Review: Identity Thief (2013)

by

08, February 2013Reviews

Cast: , ,
Director: Seth Gordon
Country: USA
Genre: Comedy
Official Trailer: Here

In theory, reuniting director Seth Gordon and actor Jason Bateman after their earlier collaboration Horrible Bosses became a box-office hit seemed like an idea few people would second guess. It seemed like an even better idea to bring Melissa McCarthy, hot off her scene-stealing turn in Bridesmaids and a successful run on CBS sitcom Mike & Molly into their next collaboration. But that’s the problem with theories and ideas: without the execution or, to put it bluntly, a semi-original script to back them up, they’re unfulfilled promises from the filmmakers. Sadly, that’s an apt description for the Gordon-directed Identity Thief, a Midnight Run and Planes, Trains & Automobiles-inspired comedy starring Bateman and McCarthy as a mismatched, antagonistic duo on an incident-filled road trip.

…a Midnight Run and Planes, Trains & Automobiles-inspired comedy starring Bateman and McCarthy as a mismatched, antagonistic duo on an incident-filled road trip.

When we meet Bateman’s character, Sandy Bigelow Patterson, a mid-level accounts executive for a Denver-based financial services company, he’s living uncomfortably close to his means. He has a house, a wife, Trish (Amanda Peet), two daughters, and a third on the way. He also has a blowhard jerk and Ayn Rand fan, Harold Cornish (Jon Favreau), for a boss. Not surprisingly, he jumps at the chance to take a better paying gig, complete with a VP title, for a new firm headed up by a soon-to-be-ex-co-worker, Daniel Casey (John Cho). All seems well and good in Patterson’s relatively risk-free world until he discovers a Florida-based grifter, Diana (McCarthy), has stolen his identity wholesale.

Diana runs up massive credit-card debt in Patterson’s name, but slips up when she’s arrested after a rowdy night of partying in a Florida nightclub. The photo’s not enough for the local authorities to do anything to clear Bateman’s name or convince Casey to give Patterson a pass, but Casey gives Patterson a convenient one-week reprieve. His barely thought-out plan involves flying to Florida, finding Diana, and bringing her back to Denver where, he hopes, she’ll admit the error of her ways and clear his name with Casey, if not the local authorities.

Once in Florida, Patterson’s plan goes predictably sideways. Diana proves to be less than cooperative (she’s a grifter, all worse). Worse, she’s gotten herself in trouble with a gangster, Paolo (Jonathan Banks), who wants payback for bad IDs she’s made for him. Paolo sends two of his best, Marisol (Genesis Rodriguez) and Julian (rapper T.I.)—walking, talking stereotypes both—after them. The bail bonds company sends a redneck Terminator (Robert Patrick) after Diana after she fails to appear in court. Identity Thief then alternates between Sandy (whose name becomes a weak running gag because it sounds feminine) and Diana as they drive from Florida to Denver, occasionally stopping for a breather (laughs are in noticeably short supply each time despite the best efforts of everyone in front of the camera), before moving on to the next conflict-ridden segment of their road trip as their pursuers get ever closer.

McCarthy justifiably gets props for her comic timing, but at least in one scene, she proves she can handle heavier dramatic material. It’s a pity then that her efforts, along with Bateman’s, are stuck in a film unequal to her (and his) talents.

Identity Thief suffers from an over-abundance of deficits, from Bateman and McCarthy’s wasted chemistry, crude, rude, vulgar dialogue that’s only one-third as shocking as Gordon and Craig Mazin (The Hangover II and III, Scary Movie 3 and 4) think, a thin, surprise-free plot, an overlong running time that repeatedly robs Patterson and Diana’s road trip of any sense of urgency, one too many offensive stereotypes, and shallow, unearned turn toward poignancy in the final moments. Only Bateman, ever the ineffectual, put-upon straight man, and McCarthy, playing an outrageous, borderline caricature without actually crossing over, make Identity Thief watchable. McCarthy justifiably gets props for her comic timing, but at least in one scene, she proves she can handle heavier dramatic material. It’s a pity then that her efforts, along with Bateman’s, are stuck in a film unequal to her (and his) talents.

60/100 ~ OKAY. Only Bateman, ever the ineffectual, put-upon straight man, and McCarthy, playing an outrageous, borderline caricature without actually crossing over, make Identity Thief watchable.

Mel Valentin
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Mel Valentin hails from the great state of New Jersey. After attending NYU undergrad (politics and economics double major, religious studies minor) and grad school (law), he made the move, physically, mentally, and spiritually to California, specifically San Francisco. Mel's written more than 1,400 film-related reviews and articles. He's a member of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle.
  • http://twitter.com/Bryan_C_Murray Bryan Murray

    This filom is pretty much a failure because of its weak script