Identity Thief 2013

Director: Seth Gordon

Writer: Craig Mazin, Jerry Eeten

Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, John Cho

Does the absence of laughter make a film suck? Only if its put forth as a comedy. Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy are wonderful, talented, funny people, but this script does not make the most of their abundant skills and abilities. I could have done without the first half hour of this flick. If this is a comedic buddy film, then it could’ve gotten to the good stuff a lot sooner. Despite the awesome performances of the supporting players, I did not enjoy this as much as I hoped because the pacing of the first third of this film was so aggravating.

The look of the film was quality, but still felt like an under-achievement. Something about this film just felt off. Maybe the editing? Timing and editing are crucial to a comedy if the director and writers intend to generate laughs. I only laughed when I realized the movie was mostly over and I hadn’t laughed at all.

I’m disappointed because this should have been great. Considering the sobering nature of the realities of identity theft today, in combination with the amazing comedic talents of the movie’s leads, this film could have been a stellar dark comedy. Instead, the filmmakers chose to make a very long lukewarm feel-good film. I wish I had two hours of my life back.

Actors Performance: Good. B+

Direction: Over Directed. Under Edited. D

Cinematography: Fine. B-

Production Value: Appropriate For The Genre. B+

Script: Could’ve Been Tighter. C

Final Bitch: Funnier Drunk. Maybe. C