It’s
awesome to see Melissa McCarthy becoming a box-office star. Here are two of her
recent releases I just caught, nicely paired…
“Identity
Theft” mashes neat freak and slob road-trip comedy “Planes, Trains, and
Automobiles” to numbers geek meets vulgar conman “Producers,” and hopes for
gold. We get copper. You can guess the roles McCarthy and co-star Jason Bateman
each go for. Plot: Bateman’s mega-nerd has his identity stolen by a freakish woman
(McCarthy) in Florida, leaving him poor, jailed, and near fired. At the
suggestion of police –- nothing here is plausible –- he goes to extradite the
woman back to Denver. Again, nonsense. So, bat shit crazy thief Diana
(McCarthy) makes our hero’s life hell with boorishness, screaming fits, a
sexual romp with a trucker, and more. Bateman’s Sandy -– yes, we girl’s name jokes -– implodes under the hellfire of crassness until … he comes to appreciate Diana
for who she really is, a victim worth loving. Look, I laughed to hell
many times, especially when McCarthy puts on a shunned wife act, but when the
movie goes for big tears with a syrupy ending, I cringed. The film does not deserve it, nor does the audience. Why can’t Diane just stay crass? Also, the
violent bounty hunters ... why? C+
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