There is a point about mid-way through “Identity Thief” where Melissa McCarthy breaks down and starts dumping tears down her cheeks. It’s a raw, honest moment where she sheds the façade and gives us something real. It’s the best part of the film, hands down.
McCarthy’s co-star has a great scene too. There’s Jason Bateman, clad in hobo’s pants, beat and battered and fed up with the world. He’s had enough and throws in the towel from the core of his soul. Very solid stuff. It’s the dramatic moments that resonate here but the problem is that “Identity Thief” is striving for comedy and the funny is missing. Bateman and McCarthy seize the opportunity to stretch but go so far away from hilarious that the movie fails.
Bateman is Sandy Patterson. It’s a girl’s name, sure, and the script reminds us of this about 12 times. He is an underappreciated Everyman who struggles to get noticed at his job at a Colorado-based investment firm. His asshole boss (Jon Favreau) treats him like trash so when another job opportunity arises, Patterson is quick out the door for a bigger and brighter future. One small problem: His identity has been stolen and his credit is ruined instantly. Not a good thing if you work in the financial field.
He has one week to find the person responsible (Spoiler Alert: It’s Mellissa McCarthy) and straighten out the tangled mess. He finds her rather easy in Winter Park, FL. which apparently is home of the Orange Tan. Her name is Diana and she is a professional con artist with a home full of crap from her exploits. Sandy is not the only one after her as a bounty hunter and some small time thugs are also in search of the sweet creature. The rest is a road trip movie following the reluctant pair through many adventures. Wacky. The adventures are wacky.
But not wacky enough. “Identity Thief” features likable characters and has a generally pleasant feel to it but doesn’t go anywhere. I love these performers and they give performances but it’s not enough. The film is directed by Seth Gordon who gave us 2011’s “Horrible Bosses”. Many of the same themes are hit on here as the Have-Nots go to desperate measures to take what they want from the Haves. In fact, the scene between Bateman and Favreau as asshole boss could have been pulled directly from “Bosses”.
The soundtrack features a meandering, beatless feel with twangy guitars wailing intermittently. For some reason it sounds like an episode of “Swamp People”. It’s annoying and out of place. Once you remove Bateman and McCarthy from the equation, all those around them are flat and clichéd.
I found the film frustrating as it just creeps to the cusp of funny and just stays there, teasing but never delivering. “Identity Thief” isn’t terrible, it’s just disappointing.