<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by Paul Feig. Starring Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Kaitlin Olson, Taran Killam, Spoken Reasons, Demian Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, Jane Curtin, Thomas F Wilson

Sure the audience laughed but that’s only because of the genius comedic acting of Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy and her onscreen chemistry with America’s sweetheart Sandra Bullock.

The plot of this film has something to do with drugs, just like the plot of this week’s Hummingbird and pretty much the plot of most Hollywood films. Also, the FBI should feel really proud. There must be at least a gazillion movies made with the FBI as the hero; and even the villain, but then any publicity is good publicity, right!

The story really isn’t important and half way through this very long (120 minutes) film you even forget what it’s all about and what FBI Special ‘needs’ Agent Ashburn and Boston PD’s Detective Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) are actually investigating. It’s not even relevant.

All that you’re watching is the increasingly unhealthy-looking McCarthy and the very botoxed Bullock engaging in mindless banter, vulgar farce and comedic situations that will, no doubt, leave you in splits at points.

Melissa McCarthy has a particular talent to be able to cuss and be boorish and uncouth in the most appealing way. It’s endearing even. Sandra just plays off of it and she does a good job too. Bigger star though she may be, this film is heart and soul McCarthy. Sad to think that the promoters of the film chose to photoshop Melissa McCarthy’s face in the posters to make her look… more appealing. See the after/before picture:

The controversial photoshopped Melissa McCarthy poster of The Heat (original is below)

There were points I wanted this film to end because it seems unnecessarily long drawn. And then all of a sudden a gem of a line will be dropped by our ‘heart-attack-waiting-to-happen’ co-star: “Because Puss In Boots there…” she says of the Latino FBI commanding officer Hale (Demian Bichir) who does very much sound like Antonio Banderas’s voice over for Shrek’s Puss In Boots character.

It’s a funny movie but as a reviewer having seen so many films I can’t help but thinking Hollywood has run out of ideas and even good writing. Frankly we’re tired of law enforcement movies, guns, drugs, cars and planes blowing up, the FBI, helicopters and disaster. Yes Hollywood does law enforcement and guns better than anyone else but we’ve reached a saturation point. If it weren’t for the bubbly and effusive actors in this film, The Heat would have been tepid at best.