Identity Thief

Without a doubt, the classic straight man of comedy for this generation is Jason Bateman. The guy is constantly the subject to torment and abuse in every film he makes as every actor from Will Smith to Ellen Page has questioned his manhood on camera. Sure, they’re characters, but sheesh, give the guy a break. Identity Thief pits Bateman against an over the top scam artist played by Melissa McCarthy. After she steals his identity and charges up a bunch of random purchases and a criminal record under his name, he decides to go and confront her in order to restore his good name. 111 minutes of awkwardness ensues.

While this trend in the lead actor’s roles show that he’s sticking firmly to his comfort zone, it’s worth noting that Bateman is a good actor in these positions. He’s likeable to a fault, sympathetic from the moment the movie starts and somehow he establishes trust with the audience instantly. He’s like a less in-control version of Tom Hanks. His counterpart, the Oscar nominated Melissa McCarthy seesaws between being overqualified for the role and too annoying to handle. The moments that establish the thief with a troubled past and being lonely come with the sincerity that earned her the nomination. But the result is that the audience is left feeling bad for the criminal and going against the exploited protagonist. It’s a strange way to develop this type of story and we see it more and more in comedy these days.

Identity Thief runs by the books. There is nothing incredibly memorable about it and to be honest, I didn’t laugh once. There were funny moments, but not enough for the proverbial “LOL.” Without the stalwart Jason Bateman to keep a level head on the plot, it would be a complete disaster. McCarthy has such opportunity to bring her Emmy winning skill to comedy films, but instead she plays a caricature that imitates a real person twice a film.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.