The Heat

Yesterday we saw The Heat, not to be confused with Heat, the bloated, over-hyped DeNiro-Pacino vehicle from the 90s, or Body Heat, the great film noir from the 80s, starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner (oh yeah).  The Heat is a trifle with a ramshackle plot and odd shifts in tone at places from humor to violence but Sandra Bullock and, particularly Melissa McCarthy (whom THC had never seen before) make it an enjoyable time at the movies. 


The Heat is a buddy-cop film except it's with two gals, instead of two guys, who, not surprisingly given the genre, are initially like oil (Bullock as an uptight FBI agent seeking promotion) and flamethrower (McCarthy as a tough Boston cop).  You can pretty much predict the rest but the two lead actors make it a pleasure getting there.  The movie has some very, very funny lines (along with a lot of violence) and McCarthy is hilarious and inventively profane.  Jane Curtin, from the original Saturday Night Live cast, plays McCarthy's mom.  She only has about three lines but each one is laugh-out-loud.  And it's also got the guy who played Biff in Back To The Future!