Film Review: The Heat

"That was almost cool.  Almost..." - Marlon Wayans

Watching this film's trailer, I certainly wasn't expecting anything deep or groundbreaking, but I was hoping for a riot of a good time.  With the premise of two totally opposite characters - a introverted by-the-books FBI agent, and a crass down-to-Earth cop - colliding with explosive force, it seemed like it'd be a sure thing.

Did the film deliver? Well, sorta.  The characters were definitely the thing that kept me hooked on the film; I did find their chemistry enjoyable.  It drives a lot of the outrageous dialogue and crazy situations that develop.  The problem is, even though I saw comedy on-screen, I didn't really laugh much.  There are plenty of physical gags and plenty of amusing lines, which should have elicited some kind of laugh from me, but it rarely happened.  And as far as action goes, forget about it; aside from some stuff at the end, most of this film is built on the (alleged) comedy and the chemistry of the characters.

The plot is a pretty lightweight affair as well; the actual investigation seems to get pushed aside often by the character development, so there are quite a few scenes that felt like they could have been cut, and quite a few character beats that could have been dropped.  It's also rather formulaic, drawing upon the same buddy-cop formulas that have already come to pass with 48 Hours, Lethal Weapon, and even Showtime.  The best that can be said is that the characters are very colorful.  It's pretty clear from the start that these characters are meant to bond and change in time; I wish such aspects were more subtle and transparent, because such developments feel very contrived here.  But even if the characters are flat and static, they are fun to watch.

This film uses pretty standard photography and editing.  Acting is appropriately over-the-top.  Writing is passable at best; the plot jerks along frequently with exposition, but the actual dialogue is amusing.  This production uses okay-looking sets, props, and costumes.  What few special effects are used are a bit gaudy.  Music choices are a mixed bag; lots of high-energy rock, which I love, and some weird rap and pop, which seemed out of place.

The Heat is not the hot s**t I was hoping for, but it has its moments.

3/5 (Entertainment:  Average | Story:  Average | Film:  Average)