Sandra Bullock's Ashburn and Mellisa McCarthy's Mullins are the new Murtaugh and Riggs.
One of the funniest movies released in the past decade, The Heat delivers as both buddy-cop gold and comedic genius. The jokes are right on cue, and at times it's hard to hear the next line after the hilarity of the previous leaves the auditorium in hysterics. It's raunchy, hilarious, and vastly entertaining to watch.
Sandra Bullock plays Sarah Ashburn, an uptight, by-the-book New York FBI agent who's cockiness makes her disliked by almost all her co-workers. She vies for a promotion, and thinks her chance has come when she's assigned to take down a drug lord in Boston. In that city, she meets Mellisa McCarthy's Shannon Mullins, an extremely vulgar city cop who fights her way through cases. Ashburn and Mullins butt heads at first, but eventually realize that they need each other to finish the job.
Unfortunately, The Heat is as predictable as it is funny. But that does not stop Bullock and McCarthy from giving two of the best performances of their careers. Sandra Bullock is fantastic in these type of roles, and she is finally back on the map after almost four years of not following up her Oscar win. McCarthy has no moral line, so her jokes can take audiences anywhere, anytime. That makes her unpredictable and exceptionally hilarious. The supporting players do not get much to work with, and at most get one or two funny punchlines in before McCarthy shows them up.
The Heat also subtly addresses themes of sexual discrimination in the justice system, corruption in the police force, and family values. The pacing works for a comedy, but it takes longer than anticipated for the film to get truly entertaining. The beginning seems uncomfortable, with McCarthy swearing every other word and Ashburn just being annoying to watch. It picks up speed after the two finally meet.
Director Paul Feig provides a funny summer comedy with The Heat. But it's Bullock and McCarthy's hugely entertaining performances that makes viewers want to stay.
Four out of five stars.
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