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The Heat review

Flicks And The City’s Nola Ojomu reviews female buddy cop comedy, The Heat (15), out in UK cinemas on 31 July…

There’s been a lot of focus on the fact that Bridesmaids director Paul Feig is once again empowering females in comedy with his new buddy cop film, but that’s not the main reason you should watch it.

The Heat has everything we’ve come to love and expect from classic buddy cop films: incompatible agents with a love-hate relationship are forced to stumble through their investigation with hilariously disastrous effects before slowly bonding to become an unstoppable crime-fighting team. The only difference is that The Heat has two brilliant female leads – Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.

Bullock plays FBI Agent Ashburn, who’s extremely efficient at her job but whose arrogance means she’s not the best team player around. Keen to get a promotion, she’s forced to prove to her boss that she can work with a partner but, unfortunately for her, she ends up with the brash and outlandish Agent Mullins (McCarthy).

The pair couldn’t be more opposite: Ashburn likes to outsmart people by getting into their heads while Mullins simply prefers to bash in their heads! And so hilarity ensues thanks to Katie Dippold’s perfectly written scenarios that let Bullock and McCarthy do what they do best – be funny!

Bullock’s a pro and gives the spot-on performance you’d expect, but McCarthy is the real star thanks to her ability to demand your attention in every scene. And the running joke where Mullins keeps bumping into love-struck former one-night stands gets just as many laughs as the banter between the agents.

The supporting cast play their roles well when called upon, especially Mullins’ crazy family. Dan Bakkedahl delivers a few hilarious scenes as a creepy albino cop, and seeing Marlon Wayans play such a sensible role for once is a nice touch as well.

Ok, so, the story’s predictable, but that doesn’t matter as you’ll enjoy all the crazy mishaps that eventually lead to the happy ending. And while directing The Heat can’t have been a struggle for Feig, you can definitely detect his input in the film’s perfect blend of crude and unapologetically rude humour.

Any last words? The Heat is one of the best films released so far this year and you’d be a fool to miss it. Yes, it’s a female buddy cop movie but, as you leave the cinema, it’s the brilliant performances and witty script that will have you raving – not the gender of the characters!

Rating: 4 / 5      

Nola Ojomu

Showbiz journalist with an addiction to film and TV. Love everything from action and comedy to romance but I especially love a film that can make me weep like baby. Will continue to campaign until Leonardo DiCaprio FINALLY gets an Oscar. Follow me on Twitter @NolaMarianna if you enjoy random musings.

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