Healani Brennan
Staff Writer
In an economy like this, identity theft is no joke, but director Seth Gordon still managed to squeeze a few laughs from audiences with “Identity Thief.”
The problem is that the joke isn’t all that funny and the film tries a bit too hard. Melissa McCarthy [“Bridesmaids”] and Jason Bateman [“Horrible Bosses” and “Arrested Development”] play the two main characters. Predictably, one’s a little crazy and the other is just a jerk.
For starters, the film over exaggerates Sandy Bigelow Patterson, the name of Jason Bateman’s character, to a tiresome extent that becomes flat out annoying. Audiences understand that Patterson’s identity is stolen not only from the title but also the first five minutes of the movie. Writers could take the name out a good ten times and it would still have been overused.
Bateman’s character is a sad financial worker that some would call an underdog. He starts out well, as a humble, likable and loving family man.
As the plot progresses, Patterson’s personality changes. At a certain point, he has said so many rude things to McCarthy’s character that even the audience was offended. This humor was less funny and more uncomfortable. Arrogance and jerkiness aside, Bateman executes the role well, which is much appreciated. His character’s bored and rude façade is broken near the end as McCarthy calls him out, relieving some of the tension between the characters.
In a number of scenes, McCarthy’s performance shines and she is the comedic light of this movie. Her nonstop lying and reflex to punch people in the throat keeps the audience chuckling, but there are a few rare moments where she extracts actual laughter from moviegoers.
McCarthy is indeed a comical genius, but she has played better parts. In truth, this nameless, identity-stealing character would have been much worse if played by anyone else. McCarthy truly brings out the best of her.
If looking for a few good laughs or just a fun thing to do this is a good choice. An unnecessary sex scene and cursing earned the movie an R rating so hire a babysitter and leave the kids at home for this one.
Fans of highbrow comedy that don’t like to waste time or money should skip this film or at least hold off until it comes out on DVD.
