Identity Thief pairs up two comedy heavyweights, but who’s going to have the forgotten identity?
Julie Hebenstreit
Sandy Bigelow Patterson (Jason Bateman) lives the perfect life. That is, until the day he realises an obnoxious and loud woman (Melissa McCarthy) has stolen his identity and lives the good life on his expenses.
Unfortunately most of the laugh-out-loud moments are right at the beginning when Bateman is after McCarthy in a ridiculously funny car chase scene.
The Bridesmaid
The actress, who is memorable through her role in Bridesmaids, delivers the best lines.
Bateman and McCarthy are good at what they do, but as a team they fail to present convincing chemistry.
The same kind of inconsistency is seen as Identity Thief struggles to keep up with the adventurous and funnier first half of the film.
Extra flavour
A star-studded cast list, including T.I. (American Gangster), Amanda Peet (2012), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) and Robert Patrick (Walk the Line) add some extra flavour but don’t do much to elevate the storyline to a more interesting level.
The film’s shortcomings could be pinpointed on the script, written by Craig Mazin and Jerry Eeten.
Identity Thief leaves some memorable one-liners, but if you’re looking for a deeper storyline and characters with a true on-screen connection, take a pass at the cinema and wait for its TV debut.
Identity Thief is released in cinemas March 22
Rating: 4/10