Friday, March 29, 2024

Weekend Box Office Surprise: Funny Female Cops Set to Take “White House” Down

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Friday is shaping up as an interesting night in box office history. Paul Feig’s female buddy cop comedy “The Heat” looks like it’s going to take “White House Down” down. First of all, “The Heat” is far better reviewed. It has a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. “WHD” meantime has a 50%. And that’s it’s high mark. It’s been lower.

Our own LEAH SYDNEY loved it. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are are going to give Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum a run for their money. Here’s what she reports back:

Prepare to have a grin on your face for two hours as two gifted actresses/comediennes– the always game powerhouse Melissa McCarthy and the ever quippy Sandra Bullock– are highly entertaining in the estrogen version of the buddy comedy, “The Heat.”  Melissa pays a filthy mouthed Boston cop who is fearless in her take no prisoners’ attitude, which extends to her family, including her perpetually messed up brother, played by the always-reliable Michael Rappaport. Sandra plays a prim perfectionist FBI agent who has her own difficult history. Their instant combativeness/affection set the tone for consistent laughs throughout the film.

The plot is simple; the ladies are chasing the drug dealer bad guys.  These gifted gals milk everything they can with their expert timing, pitch perfect chemistry and the truly clever and funny bone script by Katie Dippold doesn’t hurt.  Director Paul Feig, who helmed the McCarthy hit “Bridesmaids” two summers ago, again deftly handles these two ladies throughout their many adventures, from an undercover night of drinking, to being caught and tied up by the bad guys and extricating themselves from that.

McCarthy is fearless in her willingness to do whatever it takes to get to the funny and her in your face comedy works perfectly with Sandra’s appealing self-deprecation.  Where so many of these so called summer comedies just seem slapped together, ‘Heat’ stands out for just being bottom line, really funny, and smart. You know this is the first of many episodes in these ladies’ lives. Kudos to Sandra Bullock. She is literally the mother of career reinvention.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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