REVIEW: "The Heat" (2013)

Directed by: Paul Feig
Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars ★★☆☆
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthey, Taran Killam, Demián Bichir, Marlon Wayans
Rated R

Finally, an action, buddy-cop movie with two female leads! About time. 

Image courtesy of Flixster

From the director of Bridesmaids (2011) comes The Heat, the story of an uptight FBI agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) and off-the-rails, foul-mouthed Boston cop Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthey) team up to hunt down a dangerous druglord. The comedy duo's chemistry is excellent and creates a lot of laughs (from Ashburn's awkwardness and Mullins' language, mostly).

The thin plot line tends to be predictable at times, but the humor makes up for it. The main reason for the R rating is language. The violence and sex levels are relatively low in this film. Set to the background music of many a female rap track and hardly uses the crutch of romance for character development, this film works fairly well in a feminist perspective (and there are even several actors of color, too). 

Some problems with this film that prompted the rather low rating lie mostly in the strength of the plot. Druglords seem to be a go-to theme in cop movies, so in that respect it was rather typical. Ashburn being a foil to borderline-goofy Mullins worked with these two actresses, especially with Bullock's seemingly effortless switchback from serious cop to goofball depending on the scene. Often the story went in a rather predictable direction, but still enjoyable nonetheless. There are no shortage of hilariously, borderline-vulgar scenes. I laughed through most of this movie, and heartily.

Image courtesy of Flixster

This film also passes the Bechdel Test time and time again, portraying these women in a rather positive light as independent ladies and referencing men romantically only several times. Romance is mentioned but is not a significant plot point. One of the more misogynistic characters in the film is actually pointed out as misogynistic (by one of the bad guys...but it's something). Though Mullins is rather rough around the edges and does her own thing, her integrity to her job and herself is definitely respected (by Bullock's character and the director, anyway). 

Unfortunately, movies with female leads are few and far between, especially in the action and comedy genres. Most movies with female leads are automatically branded as "chick flicks," meaning that it is geared toward women and only women would enjoy a film like that. That stigma makes people feel guilty for liking these films in the first place, even if these so-called "chick flicks" are wonderful films! This needs to change. The Heat is a good start, and illustrates that movies with female leads can be funny and enjoyable for all audiences.

However, these actors deserve better writers and plots than this one (though it's a good movie, it's not great).

So for all of those people who still think women can't be funny, I'd like to point you to this film.

If you're still not convinced, there's no hope for you.

The Heat is now in theatres. Read the Rotten Tomatoes reviews here.

Let me know what you thought of the movie in the comments below!


Till next time xx,

Sierra