'THE HEAT'

'THE HEAT' (R) (3 1/2 STARS)

Written by Katie Dippold
Directed by Paul Feig
Actors: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demian Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, Jane Curtin, Tom Wilson, Michael McDonald.

You know that you are in the company of pure comedy acting genius when a formula cop movie that has no business being great becomes that way because of the acting. I have never seen a better pairing and comedy duo, male or female, in my life on screen till I saw the charming and hilarious "The Heat". Finally Melissa McCarthy gets a star vehicle that matches the talent she showed as a supporting actor in "Bridesmaids". She is not thrown around and treated like a punching bag like she was in the horrendously unfunny "Identity Thief". She takes charge of a movie with the help of a wonderful seasoned pro in Sandra Bullock. This is the best comedy duo in decades!

What surprised me the most was that the plot of "The Heat" is actually solid if formula and familiar. Though I didn't care about some of the plot's faults, I just sat back and watched McCarthy own the screen and Bullock complimenting her as the best straight man in the business. McCarthy is a scream, spouting "f" bombs brilliantly, a lesser actor would come off as a dullard swearing all the time but McCarthy is a treasure with her foul mouth here. She made me laugh harder than I have in a long time and Bullock is growing into an idol for me. She is perfect here, even better than she was in "The Blind Side" rubbing off McCarthy and providing solid back up.

Bullock plays an uptight, by the book FBI agent, Ashburn, who wants a promotion and thinks she is right all the time. She travels to Boston for a case and has to work with a tough, foul mouthed cop and from the first time we see McCarthy till the last frame she is totally in control equal to old Eddie Murphy and Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, John Belushi and any comic genius on film you can mention. She caresses the profane language with great skill and makes us laugh long and hard. The plot might be old but I feel that there was a lot of improvisation here because there are gems of one liners throughout the whole movie that are classic and will be remembered by me for days.

I have had a crush on Sandra Bullock and now I am totally in love! I couldn't keep my eyes off of her because her acting choices fascinated me here. She can take a small throwaway line like she does several times and make me laugh out loud at small little comedy moments. This is her best work in a comedy to date and that is saying a lot! There are small moments that are my favorites in the movie and those are the ones I feel are improvised. That includes a wonderful, hilarious 15 minutes as the two women go to a bar to get drunk and what happens in this stretch is perfectly played, constantly funny and as classic a bit as Lucille Ball would have done and maybe even the Marx Brothers.

That got me to thinking that McCarthy and Bullock could become a classic comedy duo, one of the best ever, because their chemistry is so perfect. I also love that this movie is raunchy, violent and not afraid to go over the top without getting crazy. The two women are so good I didn't mind that Mullin's family is straight out of something like "The Fighter". I didn't mind the violent shootouts either, the family of Mullins is actually funny and the cop violence is invested in real, plausible situations instead of being played as a joke. I couldn't believe the great Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) could direct an action movie but he is better at it then Marc Forster was (World War Z).

There are priceless moments throughout this movie and moments (multiple)where I sat in awe of McCarthy's and Bullock's brilliance and comedy prowess. They have turned a formula cop comedy into something greater, probably this is now my favorite buddy cop movie of all time. They have turned this into a comedy classic, written by a promising new writer in Katie Dipold (TV's Parks and Recreation). This reminded me of "Beverly Hills Cop" where Eddie Murphy became a star acting in a movie that had a pretty lame, formula plot. "The Heat" has a better story thus it is a better film.

There is great supporting acting with a very talented cast that plays this straight. "The Heat" made me laugh continuously throughout and I mean laugh out loud and I rarely do that. There is an extra scene after the credits start rolling dealing with a cat and it is priceless! This movie even had me laughing after it was supposed to be over, don't leave early please!. I will now declare that I will watch this movie multiple times just for McCarthy and Bullock's acting which is Oscar caliber here and that is no joke.