Story: Cops with wildly different temperaments are forced to work together on a case. Will they keep their differences aside and work as a team?
Movie Review: Uptight New Yorker Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is an FBI agent. She is ‘Miss I-know-it-all’, who is hated by her colleagues for being overtly competitive and unapologetic about her competence as a law enforcer. She even competes with the sniffer dogs of her squad with an intention of outshining them!
Ashburn is sent to Boston to crack a case, where she is forced to work with cocky and short-tempered Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy). Shannon has to have her way while dealing with criminals. Can the cleanliness freak from New York put up with the control freak of Boston and work together despite having nothing in common?
The Heat is not hot enough to leave you spellbound. It even loses steam once in a while, owing to certain cliched sequences and a standard storyline. For instance, the cops will have to undergo a makeover and dance clumsily at a nightclub to nab criminals, etc.
But what makes this predictable film fun is the quirky chemistry between its leading ladies (Bullock and McCarthy). The women are masters of comedy. Most of the humour comes from a volley of snide comments the two pass at each other. Given that the ladies are effortlessly quick and clever at it, the trick works. Even in portions where the fun element drops, the two make up for it with their repartee and bizarre attempts to keep the city clean. We’ve always seen male cop buddies hit it off, here’s one with a difference. Luckily, the sensibility isn’t that of a formulaic-chick-flick either.
Given the genre, who better than Sandra Bullock to be at the helm of the proceedings? The Proposal and Miss Congeniality star is in top form once again. Matching her brilliance is Melissa McCarthy. If you wanted to see more of her in Hangover 3 and felt let down by her cameo, this is your chance.
If you don’t expect buddy cop movies to be vastly unique, The Heat is fairly entertaining.
