Identity Thief (2013)

Written by John Chard on April 7, 2014

Friends don't steal friends' identities, do they?

While not quite the abomination that some critics have suggested it is, Identity Thief is a hard film to recommend to film fans looking for a comedy to cheer them up. Too long at just under two hours length, the makers appear to have dropped Melissa McCarthy in the middle of a film, built a load of questionable on going gags around her, and then thrown Jason Bateman in for the charm offensive. Then as the film runs out of steam at the mid-point, it gets caught in a vortex of contrivances and pseudo serious statements. It's a real hodge-podge of a script that does the actors no favours at all. A great premise is not fulfilled, sadly.

Identity Thief only escapes bottom of the ladder status because fans of the two leads will find a modicum of enjoyment in their respective efforts. 5/10