If you are looking for a fun summer movie, look no further
than Central Intelligence, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart.
Opening the same weekend as Finding Dory, I suspect this film may have been
overlooked by some, especially since it is not suitable for young kids.
However, I have no doubt that teens and adults will love this movie because it
is the perfect summer escape.
Central Intelligence is one of those movies that almost
slipped under my radar. I only became aware of it when I saw the trailer on
television. It would seem that the movies creating the most buzz this summer
are, of course, Finding Dory, and the upcoming release of the new, all-female
Ghostbusters, opening in July. Since I was not exactly clamoring to see Finding
Dory, I was glad that Central Intelligence came along because lately there have
not been many movies worth paying to watch.
Central Intelligence is an action-packed comedy; and I do not
use the term ‘action-packed’ loosely. A lot happens during the course of this
movie so be sure to get all of your concession items before it begins. In the
movie, Dwayne Johnson who plays Robbie Weirdicht, aka Bob Stone, and Kevin
Hart, who plays Calvin Joyner, are former classmates. In high school Calvin was
the all-star athlete and student, whom everyone loved. Robbie, on the other
hand, was overweight and the quintessential nerd. As a result, he was
relentlessly picked on by seemingly everyone except Calvin and his then
girlfriend Maggie, played by Danielle Nicolet. Fast-forward 20 years and it is
reunion time. Calvin has become dissatisfied with his life as an accountant,
feeling that he has not really accomplished much since high school when he
receives a friend request on Facebook from someone named Bob Stone. He accepts,
not knowing at first who Bob Stone is. When he discovers that it is his old
classmate Robbie, he agrees to meet with him in person, mostly to get out of
going to marriage counseling. Calvin is shocked to find that Bob, while still
essentially the same person on the inside, has changed in every way possible on
the outside and is now a CIA agent who needs his help. Calvin agrees to help
him with what he believes is a menial task involving a payroll problem. It
turns out to be a CIA operation designed to keep satellite codes out of the
wrong hands and clear Bob’s name in the process. Bob is being accused of
murdering his former partner and is actually being chased by the CIA, which, as
you might imagine, puts Calvin in an uncomfortable position. In fact, through
most of the movie, Calvin is caught between Bob and the CIA, not knowing whom
he can trust. This sets the stage for a lot of nail-bitingly hilarious
scenarios.
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart have excellent comedic
chemistry and they play well off of each other. In addition, Kevin Hart
incorporates a lot of physical comedy into his scenes, which are pure gold.
This is the perfect juxtaposition to Johnson’s portrayal of a CIA agent with
flawless physical timing and precision. Despite these elements of action and
comedy, Central Intelligence is not a film without substance. The theme of
bullying runs deeply through the plot of this film. Though Bob has undergone a
massive physical transformation he still carries the internal scars from being
bullied. They are always there, under the surface, reminding him of how people
used to see him. I do not want to give away too much of the film, but suffice
to say there are two celebrity cameos whose parts are pivotal in the bullying
theme, helping to make Central Intelligence not only funny, but heartfelt.
Central Intelligence is now playing in theaters and is rated
PG-13.
Finding Dory is now playing in theaters and is rated PG.
Ghostbusters opens in theaters July 15th and is rated PG-13.
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