Identity Thief Movie Review

 

 REVIEW BY INTERN JOHN SPATARO Feb. 8th, 2013

 

Could there possibly be a genre that is more strained for quality than comedies right now? With a seemingly endless supply of stupid sequels and worthless original comedies, moviegoers are lucky to get one genuinely funny film every few months.

 

Lucky for us, I think we’ve found a winner.

 

Cue the intro to the latest buddy comedy to hit the silver screen, Identity Thief. For a movie about mistaken identities, this movie’s identity is unmistakably hilarious.

 

Starring Jason Bateman and the utterly hilarious Melissa McCarthy, Identity Thief is about, you guessed it, a stolen identity.

 

Enter Sandy Bigelow Patterson (Bateman), a young professional who has a smoking hot wife, 2 beautiful daughters with another on the way and a solid career path with big plans on the horizon. He seems to have it all until he receives a phone call about someone attempting to steal his identity. Patterson gladly provides his personal information to a “representative” from an “identity theft prevention agency” to protect his name and his funds.

 

Can you take a guess who was on the other line?

 

Almost 2,000 miles away from Patterson’s Denver home lives the queen of retail Diana (McCarthy). Diana spends her days shopping and getting her hair and makeup done in a beach town just outside of Miami. Diana has it all because she has all she needs, a credit card and I.D. that reads Sandy Bigelow Patterson.

 

Back in Denver, the real Sandy Bigelow Patterson begins getting questioned about his involvement in an illegal drug scandal that is taking place in Florida. After furiously denying any involvement in a scandal that is happening almost 2,000 miles away, Patterson realizes his identity has been stolen.

 

In order to clear his name, Patterson must fly to Miami to find Diana and bring her back to Denver himself. With only one week to hunt down the ever-allusive con artist, Sandy Bigelow Patterson embarks on a journey to find Sandy Bigelow Patterson.

 

From their first few scenes together, it is clear that Bateman and McCarthy are a match made in comedy heaven. Bateman’s pity inducing struggle to contain the loose cannon of McCarthy makes for some wildly hilarious moments and it never really lets up.

 

Laughs come from all sides as the contrasting couple stumbles their way from Miami to Denver but the true laugh maker is McCarthy. After her breakout role in Bridesmaids, McCarthy has made her mark in the comedy world and she accentuates it in Identity Thief because of her flawless mix of likeability and spontaneity. You never know what she will say or do next which leaves you hanging on every word for her to drop the next comedic bomb.

 

Identity Thief is not perfect, but for a comedy it might as well be. There is about a 25-minute span towards the end of the film that seems to ease off the funny and drag on in-between jokes but it’s a good time to wipe some tears from your eyes and get prepared for the ever-hilarious climax.

 

Overall, with some substantial garbage coming out of the comedy sector of Hollywood, this is the saving grace, the light at the end of the tunnel, the first great comedy of 2013. Identity Thief might be about stealing but the only thing this movie will take from you is the air from your lungs while you laugh throughout the entire flick.