Central Intelligence (2016)
Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber
Calvin Joyner, a mild-mannered accountant whose high school glory days are long behind him, reconnects with an awkward pal from high school through Facebook. After meeting up, Calvin’s mundane life takes an unexpectedly thrilling turn when he's thrust into the world of international espionage.
21 connections found
View:
21 films that influenced Central Intelligence
What critics say influenced Central Intelligence
But they make a good enough duo, and Johnson — who can be a lug in by-the-numbers blockbuster fare such as “San Andreas” — is a riot as a character whose bulging masculinity is softened by his love for unicorns (“I’m big time into ’corns!” he brags, while practically tearing through his unicorn emblazoned T-shirt) and John Hughes’ “Sixteen Candles.”
He prizes hugs and unicorns, his favorite movie is “Sixteen Candles,” and whenever the subject of high school comes up, he looks like he wants to crawl under a desk.
Far too many of the one-liners in “Central Intelligence” contain references to pop culture, from Taylor Swift’s love life to “Road House” to “Sixteen Candles” to Jake Gyllenhaal to Denzel Washington to a thuddingly unfunny moment in which Hart is told he looks like “a black Will Smith.”
The combined effect is a good one, especially because Johnson is particularly amusing, whether he’s reminiscing about the greatness of the film “Sixteen Candles” (“I’ll never be like Molly Ringwald,” he pouts) or giving into physical affection (“I’m a hugger!” he proudly proclaims).
Johnson may be enjoying a comic breather in between his contributions to the “Fast & Furious” franchise, but here he’s playing the rare character you might actually care to see in a sequel — a professional undercover killing machine who, deep down, remains the same shy, sensitive, traumatized, “Sixteen Candles”-obsessed worrywart he was in high school.
Sporting a fanny-pack and jorts, and loving unicorns (“the most lethal animal”), “Road House,” and “Sixteen Candles” in equal measure, Johnson’s delightfully dorky Bob may have bulked up since high school, but he’s still endearingly sweet, even if to a fault.
I’m particularly fond of The In-Laws with Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, and a big part of what makes that film work is watching just how much fun it is when Falk unleashes a cascade of nonsense on poor Arkin.
Central Intelligence has a plot that's similar to Arthur Hiller's 1979 comedy classic The In-Laws and a style of humor reminiscent of '80s buddy-cop pictures like Running Scared.
What at first appears to be a fresh character dynamic turns out to be clever plagiarism of the 1979 action-comedy classic The In-Laws, in which a seemingly unhinged CIA agent (Peter Falk) embroils a straight-laced neurotic (Alan Arkin) in life-threatening intrigue.
Filmgoeers with long memories–or an active Netflix queue–may recall Peter Falk and Alan Arkin in “The In-Laws” (1979) exhibiting a similar chemistry in a plot akin to this one.
Twins got a lot of mileage out of the chemistry between mismatched “brothers” Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito.
I'm not sure the visual juxtaposition inherent in the central pairing is as amusing as the filmmakers think (Twins' Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito spoiled us for life in that department).
It’s a little reminiscent of 1988’s “Twins,” which paired up the oddball duo of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, albeit with considerably ramped-up action.
(Um, not Kevin Hart’s 5’4? but Dwayne Johnson’s 6’5?.) Like 1988’s Twins, with Arnold Schwarzenegger towering over Danny DeVito, there’s a comedic goldmine in the visual disparity alone.
I was disappointed.This fun buddy movie is something like a semi-slapstick Midnight Run starring Abbot and Costello.
Advertisement
It’s an action-comedy utensil, like “Rush Hour” crossed with an old Arnold Schwarzenegger shoot-’em-up, with a few goofy added sprinkles of “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.”
Es por eso que a Un espía y medio le falta mucho por alcanzar el nivel de su símil noventera Rush Hour (Brett Ratner, 1998) y aún más para superar a McCarthy.
Think of the 1982 "48 Hours" with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy, directed by Walter Hill.
If you recall, Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour, Bad Boys, and Beverly Hills Cop had genuine thrills in them as well as high-calibre, consistent jokes.
Central Intelligence is a better re-make of The In-Laws than the actual re-make of The In-Laws Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks tried back in 2003, and if it’s not as funny as the original In-Laws that’s because no movie is.
Advertisement
Early on, I suspected that this might be a comedy lite take on Fincher's "The Game," but no, cowriter (with Ike Barinholtz & David Stassen)/director Rawson Marshall Thurber (“We’re the Millers”) isn't that imaginative, instead going for an odd couple buddy (think "Twins'" Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito) movie where Bob's sanity and true identity are kept a mystery until the end (think "The In-Laws").
Leading a lonely life, relying on pop culture references such as Sixteen Candles, Road House, and Pitch Black as his foundation, Johnson plays things goofily aloof with an underlying sadness as if he never matured beyond that day when he was thrown across a gym floor naked in front of his entire class.