An omnipresent artificial intelligence voiced by James Corden is trying to determine whether to save, enslave or destroy humanity, but it needs a little more intel before it makes a decision. Enter Carol (Melissa McCarthy), the most average human being on Earth, whom the AI follows in order to form its decision.
Amateurishly directed by McCarthy’s husband, Ben Falcone, Superintelligence takes a premise oozing with comedic potential— starring an actor who, in her supporting roles, consistently delivers side-splitting performances — and squanders these golden opportunities, delivering a dud with only a few laughable moments.
Though credited to Steve Mallory, who also wrote the lousy McCarthy vehicle The Boss, one wonders if the hidden curveball of Superintelligence is that the screenplay was in fact AI-generated. The standard formula is there: protagonist, antagonist and love interest, plus best friend who generates more laughs than the lead. But the end product is a middle-of-the-road romantic comedy that haphazardly mixes in sci-fi and action elements. Somebody turn off the simulation, please!
Given McCarthy as the lead, I expected some over-the-top acting and slapstick humor — an overexaggerated character like her role as Megan in Bridesmaids. Unfortunately, the entire cast takes itself far too seriously, from McCarthy to Corden to Falcone, the latter of whom pops up as a CIA agent.
If you want the least offensive and most vanilla new movie to stream for your family for the holidays, with approximately five total laughs, Superintelligence is a good bet. Otherwise, queue up Bridesmaids, Can You Ever Forgive Me? or some “Gilmore Girls” episodes to remind yourself of McCarthy’s talents.
Available to stream via HBO Max starting Nov. 26
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