The Heat

FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) has closed more cases than any other officer in her district. She even uncovered the infamous Red Falls killer. So it comes as a surprise to Ashburn when she discovers she isn't a shoe-in for a big promotion to replace her superior, Hale (Demian Bichir). With her failure to work in any form of a team, Hale sends Ashburn to Boston to further investigate a connection of murders to a drug cartel. If all goes well, Hale will reconsider her for the promotion. What Ashburn isn't prepared for is her new partner, Detective Mullins (Melissa McCarthy). The mean and confrontational Mullins consistently throws the rules out the book and plays by the streets, making her a nightmare for Ashburn. The two must work together to uncover what's destroying the streets of Boston and quickly, before it destroys them.

Director Paul Feig seems to be on a trend of making comedies out of difficult premises. His previous massively celebrated comedy, Bridesmaids, was considered groundbreaking for it's mainstream humor but with a mostly all female cast, something that was seen as impossible to pull off (apparently). Now, with The Heat, Feig has tried his hand at the very overdone good cop/bad cop buddy buddy routine while trying to breath some life into the genre. There are numerous scenarios that audiences can guess will happen because, simply, we've seen this movie before. The film's flow is also affected with how much Feig allows our cops to find incriminating evidence, just to somehow bust them for a ridiculous reason. It almost feels like a TV series fast-forwarded to meet the length of two hours. Feig tries his hardest but just can't breath any new life into this tired, tired genre.

However, the true saving grace for The Heat is the memorable chemistry between Bullock and McCarthy. McCarthy's Mullins is given some of the best lines of the movie (I specifically enjoy a scene where she is determined to go through her superior's office, searching for his balls), but it's the chemistry between these two actresses that keeps the seats filled. The determination of Ashburn's potential promotion and Mullins' protection of her town and her family keep them focused on the case, but the blunt nature of Mullins keeps Ashburn centered. Without these two actresses and the charisma they bring when both are on screen, The Heat would be nothing.

Written by Katie Dippold, who isn't well known outside her writing for Mad TV and some small cameos in Parks & Recreation, it's easy to see why the plot of The Heat is so by the books. Thankfully, the humor is at top notch here and this keeps things moving. Hilarious running gags and memorable one-liners fill the script, allowing the laughs to hit nonstop. What's really surprising here is that I didn't care for Bridesmaids, but can admit that while the narrative is far more on point there, The Heat is much funnier and consistently so. But in theory, they are two different beasts. Bridesmaids finds humor and interest in how brutally honest it is about life, while The Heat lets reality take a backseat and focuses on the humor. Critics will bash it for this move, but I can appreciate the film based on how consistently I laughed at the intensity that I did. It's a nice addition to Feig's resume but one that will disappoint some bigger fans of Bridesmaids.

McCarthy continues her streak of making herself a comedic force to reckon with while Bullock reminds audiences that she can still hold her own with great comedic talents. The Heat might take a step back with storytelling, but manages to take a big step forward in it's humor, making it one of the funniest movies this year. Don't be too afraid of the spice, The Heat is pretty mild but a great taste nonetheless.