Cert 12A
108 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, violence, infrequent strong language
I haven't heard Mark Kermode's film reviews on BBC Radio5Live for some time so when I heard him praising Central Intelligence last week I thought he may have lost his marbles.
This is a man whose judgment I have found to be consistently high and I have been at one with him over his criticism of Kevin Hart in previous movies.
Therefore, the prospect of a double act between Hart and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson made me shudder,
However, as Kermode correctly predicted, Rawson Marshall Thurber's Central Intelligence is the surprise of the summer,
Ok, I wasn't rolling around the aisles nor did I "laugh from start to finish" as Kermode said he did but I was smiling a lot and did break out into a guffaw four times.
Much of this is down to Johnson, who is irresistible as the CIA tough guy who has turned his life around since being the subject of horrifying bullying at school.
Meanwhile, Hart's character who was voted the 'most likely to succeed' at school is fed up with his life as an under-achieving accountant.
His former schoolmate's appearance comes out the blue but his initial enthusiasm evaporates when he discovers he is being investigated by his bosses at the CIA for going rogue.
Part of the fun of Central Intelligence is the jack-in-a-box antics of Johnson's character. Whenever his pursuers or Hart think they have thrown him off, he reappears with a smile - even in unlikely guises.
Hart, meanwhile, is much less screechy because he is playing the unusual role of straight man and is better for it, in my opinion.
There are also effective cameos from Jason Bateman and a particularly funny one from the omnipresent Melissa McCarthy.
This week, Forbes has reported that Johnson is the best paid actor in the world. I am not sure than performances such as this n Central Intelligence entitle him to bring in more bucks than the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio.
But he is very likable and clearly game for a laugh. Arnold Schwarzenegger found that these qualities can go a long way.
Reasons to watch: Johnson and Hart make a surprisingly engaging double act
Reasons to avoid: Not enough laughs to call it a must-see
Laughs: four
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: bare bums
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Star tweet
Easily one of our fav scenes in the movie. @melissamccarthy is a rare gem. Luv that woman. #CentralIntelligence
No comments:
Post a Comment