Identity Thief

             

                Everyone’s worst nightmare is someone stealing their identity and doing who knows what in your name. In a world were electronics have made it easier to do such a thing, what we really needed was a comedy about this very subject. I am one who thinks we need to laugh more, and sometimes take the serious subjects more lightly. Which brings us to “Identity Thief” a comedy about what happens when you give your personal info out to the wrong person?

     Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) is you typical average Joe. He is in a job that he is unappreciated in, and is happy with a non eventful life. Diana (Melissa McCarthy) is the total opposite. She loves life and lives it to full extreme. The problem is that she lives that life with other people’s identities, and Sandy Patterson is her next victim. Diana treats herself to anything she wants, and tells whatever stories it takes for her to be liked. Sandy starts to figure out something is not right when his credit card is declined. Next he is arrested for something he did not do, and Sandy finds out the depth of his problem. Sandy decides the only thing he can do is to go after his impersonator himself. What follows is part road trip movie and part discovery movie.

       I really wanted to enjoy this movie, and the reason why is because of Jason Bateman. I think Jason is so fun to watch, but it seems he never gets the right role. For every “Extract” there seems to be two “The Change-Up”. Teaming Bateman up with Melissa McCarthy, who couldn't be more sought after, after her role in “Bridesmaids” in 2011, sounds like the perfect match.  Well we all know that not everything goes well together, and in the case of our two stars, I think it’s the story that doesn't work more than them. Just like most comedies, the studio feels like it should give away all the funny in the trailer. There are a couple of surprise funny parts still, but most of the good parts were already shown in the trailer. I found it hard to laugh at something I had seen over and over again. I also think that McCarthy’s type of comedy will get old fast, something we will find out soon, with all the movies she has coming out soon. The screenplay written by Craig Mazin, starts off playing hard for the laughs, but by the end starts to abandon them for some heart. This movie could have been good and fun to watch; instead you get average and only finding few moments that are enjoyable. You could do a lot worse than “Identity Thief” and you do get to see Bateman playing what he plays best.  You will just leave thinking about what this movie could have been and not what it was.

Brian Taylor