Review #1,383: 'Central Intelligence' (2016)

The buddy-action-comedy movie was born in the cocaine-pumped 1980s, and should have been put to rest for good when they stopped being funny around the time Lethal Weapon 4 was released in 1998. But when you take two bankable stars and place them together side-by-side, studios cannot resist the pull of the buddy movie. What they don't realise however, is that the sub-genre is very tricky indeed, and the only good example in recent years that springs immediately to mind was helmed by the guy who really kicked the whole thing off - Shane Black's The Nice Guys. I'm sure there are others, but these films are mainly lazily-written and clumsily-plotted, mainly because it's easy to make money from them as long as you have two likeable stars to splash across the poster. Central Intelligence is one such movie that leans too heavily on the charisma of its leads - Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson - failing to make the most of what is actually an intriguing premise.

Back in high school, Calvin Joyner (Hart) was an all-star athlete, homecoming king, and all-round decent fella. Fast forward twenty years and he is working as a forensic accountant, watching the youngster he once schooled get promoted above him and having it all rubbed in his face by the obligatory office douchebag. Out of the blue, he is contacted via Facebook by somebody named Bob Stone, and Calvin curiously accepts his friend request. Bob turns out to be Robbie Weirdicht (Johnson), the once-chubby kid who was humiliated in high school when he was thrown buck-naked into an assembly hall during Calvin's honorary speech. Robbie, however, has grown up to be The Rock and is now tall, muscular and confident, although he is still goofy. He loves unicorns and fanny packs, and worships Calvin ever since the most popular guy in school was the only one to feel sympathy for Robbie by handing him his sports jacket to cover up. They meet for drinks and have a good time, but when the CIA come knocking on Calvin's door the next day, it becomes clear that Bob isn't everything he appeared to be, and may in fact want Calvin's help with tracking down a shadowy criminal known as the Black Badger.

There are some darker, more interesting paths director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, We're the Millers) could choose to explore here, but Central Intelligence turns out to be the very definition of formulaic. It actually stars off well, with Hart and Johnson proving to be a highly watchable pair who share great chemistry, and both actors playing against type. When the shaky, poorly choreographed action sequences kick off, they fall back into familiar routines, with Johnson effortlessly disposing of bad guys and Hart shrieking as chaos ensues around him. The comedy becomes uncomfortably forced, and proves that improvisation isn't as easy to direct as Hollywood seems to believe it to be. Someone like Larry Charles or Adam McKay would have likely made much more out of this, but in Thurber's hands the tone shifts wildly, and the actors' energy levels change vastly from one scene to the next. The likes of Amy Ryan and Jason Bateman are wasted in forgettable roles, and as soon as you see who plays Bob's former partner via flashback (there's a sub-plot questioning Bob's mental stability and ultimate goal), you'll likely unravel what little mystery the film flirts with. Hart and Johnson won't be harmed by this, as they simply aren't the problem here. The problem is the flat direction, tiresome plot and unforgivably boring action scenes.


Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Amy Ryan, Danielle Nicolet, Jason Bateman, Aaron Paul
Country: USA/China

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,033: 'Zootopia' (2016)

Cute, talking animals are, of course, nothing new when it comes to Disney. Whether they are an anthropomorphic swash-buckler or a wide-eyed human's sidekick, I couldn't name one of Disney's animated output that didn't feature a cuddly creature. Their latest, Zootopia, may seem much more of the same then, with it's richly-imaged world of upright rabbits, polar bears, hippos and the like, all living together in harmony in the titular metropolis. You can put away your preconceptions however, as Zootopia is without doubt the corporate giants bravest and most relevant picture to date, and one with a strong message for its young audience that will hopefully rub off on at least a few viewers.

Young, determined bunny Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) grows up in the rural Bunnyburrow, a small town in a larger world where predators and prey have evolved to live together peacefully. Her parents hope she'll grow up to appreciate the quiet life of selling carrots and raising a family, but she has other ideas, and hopes to one day travel to the big city of Zootopia to become a police officer. Despite facing prejudice due to her gender and her size, she eventually graduates from Police Academy top of her class, and is soon in Zootopia fulfilling her dream. But when she arrives, her colleagues instantly doubt her ability as the precinct is traditionally made up of more formidable animals, and is quickly assigned to parking duty by Chief Bogo (Idris Elba).

Frustrated at the clear-cut discrimination, Judy decides to be the best parking attendant there ever was. It is while she is stamping every vehicle with a ticket the second they're in violation that she learns that prejudice goes both ways, meeting the seemingly down-and-out fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), the exact kind of prey Judy suffered physical harm from as a child. Her suspicions turn out to be true, and Nick is indeed a 'sly' fox, but comes to learn that he acts like a fox because society treats him and expects him to be like one. Begging for a chance at something more challenging, Bogo gives Judy the task of tracking down missing person Mr. Otterton with an ultimatum that she must resign if she fails. Suspecting his street-smarts may be of an asset to her investigation, Judy blackmails Nick into helping her, and uncover a series of bizarre incidents where predators are returning to their primal state.

While it may sound like a heavy-handed educational piece on the folly of racism and pre-judgement, it actually isn't, as Zootopia is also an explosion of imagination for the vast majority of its 110-minute running time. Judy's arrival at Zootopia, as she is whisked through an array of eco-systems, designed to sustain the many different kinds of inhabitants, is a complete joy. While some jokes fail to hit the mark, like the Godfather gag that may have been funny thirty years ago, others are ingenious. It may seem obvious to employs sloths at the DMV, but the scene is still laugh-out-loud even though they played it in it's entirety in the trailer. But Zootopia isn't memorable for its comedy value, but the way it delivers its message. Without being preachy or overly-sentimental, the film actually feel frustrated at society. We have surely evolved past pretty prejudice and stereotyping, so what drives the hate? The film hints at fear induced, which is a bold statement on its own.


Directed by: Byron Howard, Rich Moore
Voices: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, J.K. Simmons
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #28: 'Paul' (2011)

Two British sci-fi 'geeks', Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings (played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost respectively), have gone to America, firstly to Comic-con and then on to a road trip diverting to all UFO hot spots in an RV. Whilst in the vicinity of area 51, they are run off the road by an out-of-control car, which makes them careen onto the sand off-road. This is where they encounter Paul, a grey CGI alien escaped from said area 51, on a mission to get back to the mothership. Paul has been on Earth since 1947 when his ship crashed. Paul is a wise-ass talking, pot-smoking refugee from a distant planet who was sent here on a science project. Graeme and Clive are sequestered into taking him to find his way home. On their journey they pick up fundamentalist Christian Ruth (Kristen Wiig) from a trailer park. They are also on the run from the feds, led by Jason Bateman's Special Agent Lorenzo Zoil.

And that's it really. Written by Pegg and Frost, you'd think it may have the same verve and contextual Britishness of humour as previous work Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007). However, like their characters here, they have seemed to Americanise themselves so that they can one day 'make it' over the pond. It is therefore a very American affair, complete with the fitting stylised emotional 'arcs' of the characters. Don't get me wrong, there are some very funny moments in the film. Such as Paul stating that he gets his weed from the US Military, which is so strong that it killed Bob Dylan; "But he's not dead". Paul answers "That's what you think" (or something along those lines). I really liked the t-shirt worn by Ruth showing an image of Jesus shooting Darwin with the statement 'evolve this' underneath. But unfortunately many of the gags are derived from reference.

This brings me to the main thing that Pegg as a writer has consistently done since the brilliant TV series Spaced. Whilst the film references in Shaun and Fuzz were at times subtle, in both Spaced and Paul, they are nothing of the sort, kicking you in the face with their obviousness. Paul might as well be an hour and a half of Pegg and Frost giving Spielberg and Lucas a big massive wank. (Spielberg also gives a vocal cameo in the film) References to all Spielberg's Sci-fi output, along with, of course Star Wars (1977), are so tritely signposted that it might as well hold signs up stating "We love you Spielberg/Lucas, please suck my cock!" Many of the characters lines are simply lifted from 80's fodder such as Aliens (1986) (Sigorney Weaver has a cameo) and Robocop (1987), to name just two. But most gag/references are kept for the awe of said child/directors as previously stated.

The two main characters are likable, but they just seem so cliched. They may as well be lifted (particularly Peggs character) from Spaced. And Seth Rogen voicing Paul is amusing at times, but just falls short as its just another all-too-obvious stoner character for him. Pegg and Frost chose wisely (if they chose at all) to hire Gregg Motola to direct the film, whose previous films were the actually funny Superbad (2007) and Adventureland (2009). He brought with him the the ensemble of actors used regularly in the Apatow group, but the script is just not good enough to give the characters much to do. Perfect example being, the usually excellent Bill Hader, who in my opinion stole the show in Superbad as one-of-the-boys police Officer Slater. So it simply seems that these talents were absolutely wasted.

Well, in summary, the film definitely has some genuine laughs, but just seems to leave great streams of pearl necklaces on the faces of those filmmakers who revived (or ruined) Hollywood filmmaking from 1975 onwards. Ha Ha, funny.


Directed by: Greg Mottola
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Sigourney Weaver, Jane Lynch
Country: USA/UK

Rating: **

Marc Ivamy