Bullock And McCarthy, Packing 'Heat' (And Laughs) In Boston
Summer movies, as you may have noticed, are overwhelmingly male-dominated. But this summer, there's an exception: The Heat, a buddy cop flick with a distaff difference.
It centers on two women: FBI agent Ashburn (Sandra Bullock), who's great at catching crooks but such a relentlessly arrogant, by-the-book process nerd that no one's willing to work with her, and Boston police officer Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), who's equally adept at crook-nabbing but so sloppy and temperamentally inclined to flout rules that no one's willing to work with her, either. Gotta get these two together, right?
It's the classic buddy-cop pairing: An odd-couple mismatch of two comic souls who are professionally (and platonically) married in the same sense that Felix and Oscar were domestically (and platonically) married. That they are walking magnets for the sort of sexism that haunts women in the workplace, and particularly in police work, makes the situation that much more interesting.
That McCarthy will dominate the proceedings is a given. The film is built around Bullock's character — it's she who changes, has a character arc that actually arcs, and learns something while the two of them struggle to work together — but she's decidedly secondary. Invariably, the film is about her reacting to and countering the force of nature that is McCarthy on screen.
Director Paul Feig, who shepherded McCarthy to an Oscar nomination in Bridesmaids after a decade in which she'd been misused by other directors, really gets his star. Not just her profane improv, but her considerable grace with slapstick, and also the kind of offbeat sight gag that works for her — eating a red bell pepper while driving, for instance, which is somehow, unaccountably, hilarious.
The director has found some warmth in Bullock's ice-maiden act, too, and when he gets both their characters doing shots and improvising during a barroom scene — well, let's just say one drinking game they come up with is going to make Scotch tape a required bar accessory within a week or two.
Katie Dippold's screenplay traipses through what some will regard as overfamiliar buddy-flick territory, but there's no denying that having women doing the traipsing gives the camaraderie a different resonance. It's not exactly Thelma and Louise with cuffs instead of the cliff, but in its own way, The Heat is as provocative as it is funny.
Will it have box-office heat? Oh yeah. The Heat 2 is already in the works.
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Transcript
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
As often happens during Hollywood's blockbuster season, this summer's movies are overwhelmingly dominated by men. But there's one exception, the comedy "The Heat," which opens today, centers on law enforcement officers played by Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.
Our critic Bob Mondello says he had a better time watching this buddy flick than he expected to.
BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE: FBI agent Ashburn, played by Sandra Bullock, is great at catching crooks but so uptight about following rules that even when it's just a matter of counting to three, no one is willing to work with her.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "THE HEAT")
SANDRA BULLOCK: (As Sarah Ashburn) Wait for my three-count. One, two - unbelievable.
MONDELLO: Boston Police Officer Mullins, played by Melissa McCarthy, is equally good at catching crooks but so temperamentally devoted to not following rules, that no one is willing to work with her, either.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "THE HEAT")
MELISSA MCCARTHY: (As Shannon Mullins) I'm going to make you bend over and I'm going to reach up in your pocket and get the key's to your house, and them I'm going to drive and stab you with your own badge.
MONDELLO: Got to get these two together, right? Here's how they meet.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "THE HEAT")
BULLOCK: (As Sarah Ashburn) Are you about to be interrogated by an officer?
MCCARTHY: (As Shannon Mullins) I am an officer and that's my perp.
BULLOCK: (As Sarah Ashburn) Could you just close the door on the way out.
MCCARTHY: (As Shannon Mullins) I'll shut the door on you. Will you lay down here and put your head in the door and I'll slam it about 157,000 times?
MONDELLO: Things do get better from there - a little.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "THE HEAT")
BULLOCK: (As Sarah Ashburn) Maybe we can work together on this.
MCCARTHY: (As Shannon Mullins) I don't need your help.
BULLOCK: (As Sarah Ashburn) Obviously the FBI can get information that you can't.
MCCARTHY: (As Shannon Mullins) Maybe I just need to hear a little: I need your help, Mullins.
BULLOCK: (As Sarah Ashburn) This is ridiculous. OK, FBI agent...
MCCARTHY: (Detective Shannon Mullins) I need your help, Mullins.
BULLOCK: (As Sarah Ashburn) I need your help, Mullins.
MCCARTHY: (As Shannon Mullins) Is this a whisper party? I want the third floor to hear it. I need your help Mullins, and then maybe you can give me a little echo on that Mullins.
BULLOCK: (Special Agent Sarah Ashburn) I need your help Mullins, Mullins, Mullins...
MCCARTHY: (As Shannon Mullins) Move. Move. Move. Even in that you're annoying.
MONDELLO: Director Paul Feig, who shepherded McCarthy to an Oscar nomination in "Bridesmaids" - after a decade in which she'd been misused by other directors - really gets his star, not just her profane improv but her considerable grace with slapstick. And also, the kind of off-beat sight-gag that works for her; eating a red bell pepper while driving, for instance, which is unaccountably, hilarious.
The director has found some warmth in Bullock's ice-maiden act, too. And when he gets both their characters doing shots and improvising during a barroom scene, well, let's just say one drinking game they come up with...
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "THE HEAT")
BULLOCK: (As Sarah Ashburn) I smell bacon. I smell bacon...
MONDELLO: ...is going to make Scotch tape a required bar accessory within a week or two.
Katie Dippold's screenplay traipses through what some will regard as over-familiar buddy-flick territory, but there's no denying that having women doing the traipsing gives the camaraderie a different resonance. It's not exactly "Thelma and Louise" without the cliff but in its own way, "The Heat" is as provocative as it is funny.
Will it have box-office heat? Oh yeah, "The Heat 2" already in the works.
I'm Bob Mondello. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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