The Heat Is On ( A Low Thermostat Setting)

This action comedy lady-cop-buddy movie plays out exactly like you think it’s going to. It’s above average, but only just. The surprise is that it is Sandra Bullock who is the weak link here. She basically just takes her stock Miss Congeniality character out of the wardrobe and gives it another airing. It doesn’t quite work in the context of this film which requires her to be a lot tougher and less klutzy than she plays it. Melissa McCarthy’s insane detective needs a stronger foil who won’t stand for her shit. It would have given the relationship a definite edge and genuine tension but Bullock’s FBI agent seems to acquiesce too easily even though there are script reasons for her doing so.

Take a second here to consider the career of Sandra Bullock. She first came to attention with ‘Speed’ which was some twenty years ago. An A-list female star who has had a consistent run of hits and is still a bankable draw after all those years is something very rare in Hollywood. I like her but she gives a lukewarm performance for this one. It’s also disconcerting that she is becoming a doppleganger for Andrew Eldritch from The Sisters of Mercy.