'Identity Theft' - McCarthy steals the show!
If not for hilarious Melissa McCarthy, 'Identity Theft' would have been a bomb, with the only thing stolen being your hard earned money for the price of admission. As it is, only the scenes involving McCarthy are funny, everything else is simply filler and barely passable.
Major credit must be given to McCarthy and straight man Jason Bateman for turning what is a basic rip off of 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' into something just slightly more elevated than a National Lampoon direct to video feature. McCarthy is an inspired physical comedian, and her verbal riffs are wonderfully funny; it is just too bad that the material she was given was not quite up to her full potential. I am hoping that this major comedy star in the making is given better material to work with and soon. She has potential, if not for her turn, this would have been an awful piece of work! It is the sheer presence of her and Bateman that bring 'Identity Theft' just above the muck.
With a plot that at best meanders and unabashedly slaps the viewer with sentimentality (in an obvious attempt to please all crowds), 'Identity Theft' is a comedy looking for it's own identity. Melissa McCarthy is Diana, a con artist who has lived a life a luxury by stealing identities. Having stolen the identity of Sandy (Jason Bateman) and causing him near financial ruin; it is up to Sandy to bring Diana to justice (apparently there is no cross departmental cooperation among the police forces of the continental US), from Miami, Florida to Denver, Colorado. The film weaves from a criticism of excess, to a road movie, to a buddy flick, and (for some bizarre reason) to what I think is a drug lord looking to kill Diana. Strange characters are introduced and then tossed aside, most without reason and all without anything funny to do or say. But throughout it all, McCarthy steals each and every scene she is in making the film funny by her sheer force of nature.
Bateman is the perfect straight man to McCarthy's lunacy. Both are likable and both are strong together in every scene they are in. Pull them apart though and the movie grinds to a halt. The direction, by Seth Gordon, is amateurish at best. Gordon doesn't seem to have much of a sense of comedic timing at all. Most often, hilarious scenes with McCarthy and Bateman are left to die on the vine rather than being followed up with equally funny scenes. Dialogue seems to hang in the moment and if not for the comedic powers of Bateman and McCarthy, the film would have faded out shortly after the opening credits.
McCarthy alone is worth the price of admission. I enjoyed watching her comedic genius play out even as I was yawning between her scenes. It's a 2 1/2 star effort that could have easily been 0 stars if not for McCarthy. I am hoping she is showcased soon with material much more deserving of her talents!