Identity Thief

As the cartoon-ish posters tell us, Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) is a sucker. He just gave his personal identification information to a stranger over the phone. Sandy Patterson (Melissa McCarthy) is the "Identity Thief". After getting arrested and almost getting fired from his job, the real Sandy Patterson is determined to get his identity back. A stupid but convenient police procedural sets Sandy off across the country to bring the criminal to justice.

It's the type of film where critics and audiences are at odds. Critics think it's one of the worst comedies ever made, audiences don't particularly like it all that much either, but are paying to see it in theatres in droves. Go figure. Well, I liked it. It has its fair share of problems, but it can make you laugh, simply and effectively.

The key to comedy is timing. Bateman is a good comedic actor and he has great comedic timing. His lines are funny enough and we are able to laugh at his misfortunes because we know good will have to come to him eventually. The film itself also has good timing. A handful of well- timed edits had me screaming, laughing and crying in a ball as a snake squirmed its way up Sandy's pants. The scene that followed handled an animal joke better than most similar comedies do.

Say what you will about Melissa McCarthy, but she's a good actress based solely on the fact that every character she has played is completely different than any she has played before. "Sandy"/Diana is not Molly, not the filthy Megan, not the scattered Sookie and not any of the darker characters that she played in a few dramas. Diana has no friends (but can buy some using Sandy's money) because she's extreme in her actions. But that's where comedy lies, in the extreme.

"Identity Thief" does take the road trip comedy angle and makes it fairly formulaic with the various obstacles, but that's also what makes it likable. Sandy is likable, Diana is over-the-top but that's what makes the comedy work. The film, though, is a "soft R", meaning the jokes are tame and silly not overly crude or crass. Considering how much audiences love the R-rated comedy, that's apparently the problem with this movie. It just wasn't raunchy enough for them. Well, I can like my comedies with a few less swear words and no nudity, so I liked it.

I went into the Houston premier of Identity Thief with modest expectations. The movie is more-so about the road trip of the straight and Honest Sandy alongside the Cunning, throat punching Diana. The premise is a recycled one, but is done in a fresh way. While watching, you don't get the "I've seen this before" feeling while watching it. There are plenty of laughs delivered by the hilarious two leading characters. The supporting characters actually are the only disappointments. They seem quite dry with their dialog being rushed and less integral to the humor of the movie. They are more side notes to keep the story rolling, but they do not slow the movie down.

The movie is a good time out and not a waste of money if you paid for tickets. It doesn't break the mold, but it does stand up as a movie you will enjoy and actually leave out of the theater talking about!

It was an ok movie and quite easy watching but it wasn't as funny as I expected and the plot was very slow going!

I must have watched the extended version mentioned here on imdb. At the start of the film I was struck by several long repetitive talky unfunny scenes setting up Jason Bateman's family situation, job move, credit card problems. In case audiences don't get how credit cards work, let's put in another credit card scene.

Melissa McCarthy in the first half is mostly obnoxious with nary a redeeming feature. The premise of Bateman's legal problems and his taking McCarthy across country does not seem to make any logical sense. The audience could easily ignore this if the characters and events were funny but here they aren't. The road movie antics with Bateman and McCarthy drag on with few laughs and little chemistry. The car crashes and villainous pursuers fail to add much tension.

A real problem is the lack of jokes in the script. The main joke seems to be a recurring one where people think Sandy is a girl's name and Bateman insists it is unisex. So if you enjoy repetitions of the line "Sandy is a girl's name!" you might enjoy the film.

In the third act McCarthy pulls out some good acting and the film tries to insert some meaning and characterisation into events. It is kind of effective but is a big switcheroo to try and pull off after the mess that went on before.

Identity Thief is a comedy filled with exciting scenes and memorable quotes involving two people, Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) and Diana (Melissa McCarthy) that would have never met, until Diana steals Sandy's identity. We all know how important credit is and Sandy is not going to sit around and watch his hard earned credit go down the drain. He travels cross country to bring Diana to justice. Diana is not the kind of person who "rolls over and dies," she doesn't give up without a fight. The director (Seth Gordon) sticks to his style of comedy, like Horrible Bosses, also starring Jason Bateman. Some scenes are drawn out in this 111 minutes, but that shouldn't stop you from seeing this movie. Besides you might learn a thing or two on keeping your identity safe!