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Not even the hilarious and charming Melissa McCarthy, the best surprise from her breakout hit "Bridesmaids," can upright the disastrously featherbrained script in "Identity Thief."
Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development") again takes on the straight-man role as a Colorado businessman named Sandy (oh how the unisex-name jokes fly) who discovers his identity has been stolen by a harebrained con artist (McCarthy) on the other side of the country.
Because the screenwriters have never heard of just calling up the bank to cancel your credit card, Sandy believes the only way he can reclaim justice is to catch the woman himself and drive her back from Florida.
That leads to one horrendously unfunny situation after another (including an especially excruciating sex scene with "Modern Famliy" co-star Eric Stonestreet) as they try to make it back to Colorado.
The only thievery going on here is the deft snatching of laughs from a normally funny actress like McCarthy. Instead she's reduced to being a stooge who repeatedly falls over with a thud and likes to punch people in the throat. —
Hhj
Identity Thief
The otherwise riotous Melissa McCarthy couldn't save an inane script in this road comedy also starring Jason Bateman.
Where • Theaters everywhere
When • Opens Friday, Feb. 8
Rating • R for sexual content and language
Running time • 111 minutes