Happy Friday! Seeing as that it’s the school holidays, I thought I’d entertain you with a movie review. If you can get a sitter for the kids, I thoroughly recommend checking this out! The Heat is a 15 Certificate in the UK.

THE HEAT

I’d seen the trailer and it got me hooked. I like Sandra Bullock in her ditzy power-woman roles. Miss Congeniality is an all-time favourite, as is The Net. As is, incidentally, The Proposal. Unsurprisingly, I was keen to see her latest film. So keen in fact, that I managed to catch it on opening night here in Lincoln. I can’t recall the last time a film drew me to the cinema on opening night!

The basic story is this. Uptight and somewhat unpersonable, know-it-all-and-is-never-wrong FBI agent, Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock), would like that promotion. Her interpersonal issues and the universal dislike of her co-workers stop her boss awarding her said promotion. Instead, he sends her on a ‘choice’ assignment to Boston to take down a drug lord. Perhaps if she succeeds, the promotion may be on offer.

Within about five minutes of arriving, Sarah unwittingly and unknowingly locks proverbial horns with her soon-to-be partner, Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy). You see, Sarah does everything by the book. She quotes the book quite a lot too, she’s like a walking encyclopedia. Shannon is a bit of a rogue cannon with extremely colourful language. Speaking of cannons… we soon discover that Shannon has a fridge full of… guns. Her food stores seem to consist of days-old sandwiches that she repeatedly tries, and fails, to pass on to McCarthy. It takes the agents a while to rub together, but when they do, they are truly a force to be reckoned with.

The plot was gripping with a twist that brewed and brewed and brewed…and then twisted once more upon itself, surprising the audience as much as Mullins and McCarthy. The clash between the two agents’ outlook on the right way of doing things, and the extremely feisty character and colourful language of Mullins set up deadpan joke after joke that had the audience laughing and cheering, even in the goriest of circumstances.

Favourite quotes?

Mullins: You’re giving her beauty advice? Do you even own a fucking mirror?
Mullins: Is that really what you want to say?  Because you’re saying that out loud.
Ashburn: … tongue in cheek! [You’ll get this when you see the movie, I promise!]

Bullock delivers a solid performance, as expected; she aced the role at every turn. Yet to me, it was the outstanding delivery by McCarthy that really made the film. I’m fairly sure that I recall seeing an interview with Sandra Bullock during which she explained that a lot of the comedy moments were unscripted and simply ‘erupted’ because of the chemistry between the actors. I may have misunderstood, but I can certainly believe that happening ~ Bullock and McCarthy are a dream team!!

THE HEAT is a nail-biting thriller with intense suspense and peppered with hilarious belly-laugh moments all the way through. If you’re only going to see one film this summer, I suggest you make it this one.

FIVE STARS!