It was bound to happen once again. Another solidly entertaining Kevin Hart vehicle right about the time I was ready to give up on him for good. He’s a likable comic talent who’s too often in films that are, for lack of a better word, crap. Generally, he’s allowed to indulge in his worst tendencies as a performer — a combination of shrill and loud — presumably to distract from how bad the material is. Every so often, he’s given a good role in a movie that’s not wholly obnoxious and gives you just a glimmer of hope.
Rawson Marshall Thurber’s Central Intelligence is just that movie, one that’s entertaining enough to remind you that Hart can be palatable. Interestingly enough, it’s less Hart that makes this happen than it is his co-star, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who also needs to be — after a slew of Fast and Furious films and generic action stuff — reminding people he can actually be an appealing, charismatic star. While Central Intelligence is nothing more than a standard buddy cop action-comedy film (which, right there, is its great failing), it at least knows how to make its stars palatable. This is something that, judging by the slew of bad movies these two are in, is easier said than done.
The idea here is that, in high school, Bob Stone (Johnson) was (thanks to CGI, for the film’s purposes) a pudgy, unlikable nerd who was constantly picked on. His only friend was Calvin, the school’s football star. After parting ways after graduation, Calvin finds himself unhappily toiling away as an accountant. All these years later, he finds Bob — now 300 pounds of muscle — back in his life and in need of help. It seems Bob, over the years, has worked his way into the CIA and is seeking aid from the one person in the world he can trust: his old friend Calvin.
Lots of action scenes and explosions happen in none-too-surprising ways. Also not surprisingly, much of Central Intelligence’s comedy is built around Hart and Johnson’s odd-couple pairing. Not just in their character’s divergent demeanors, but in their obvious physical differences, too. The obviousness of this, and the film’s willingness to be this obvious, is really what hurts Central Intelligence the most. It’s generic, plain and simple. Even with Johnson given a surprisingly complex character — a behemoth who still views himself a nerdy teen and also might be a psychopath — Central Intelligence still hews too closely to its action-comedy formula to be worth remembering. This despite a certain chemistry between the film’s two leads and the innate affability this creates — the film just feels like more of the same. An occasionally enjoyable retread, sure, but not one that’s going to get anyone truly excited. Rated PG-13 for crude and suggestive humor, some nudity, action violence and brief strong language .
Playing at Carolina Cinemark, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande, UA Beaucatcher.
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