The comedy road tripper Identity Thief gets a boost from comedy greats Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman making the film entertaining. The film works better on Blu-ray than it did in the theater. A very good set of bonus features accompanies the release and it even has an unrated version for those who want to see a more intense version. The Blu-ray combo pack includes a DVD copy, a Digital Download and Ultraviolet.
Diana’s (Melissa McCarthy) a con artist that has been stealing identities for a living in Florida. With her handy dandy credit card making machine she spits out cards of the unsuspecting and puts them to some incredibly blatant use. On one particular day she randomly calls Sandy Bigelow Patterson (Jason Bateman) in Colorado and tells him that his credit card has been compromised and that as a member of the fraud division she’s informing him of his options to get free identity protection. But, before he can get the special protection attached to his credit cards, she wants to make sure she has the right person. Sure enough the gullible Sandy gives her everything including his social security number for verification.
Armed with all the necessary information to cut several credit cards, Diana goes on a rampage of spending from drinks to diamonds. After maxing out one of Sandy’s cards she moves on to the next one making an appointment for hair and nails. In the meantime, Sandy pulls into a gas station with his tank on empty and the pump refuses his card. Going to the attendant he gets his card cut up and soon after gets arrested by the police at his place of business. The police find a mug shot of the real perpetrator Diana from a recent arrest for drunk and disorderly and they let Sandy go. When they tell him the only way they’ll be able to get his identity back involves catching the woman red handed, Sandy takes off for Florida to bring Diana to justice.
The fun film has the right actors playing the roles, Bateman (The Switch, Horrible Bosses) and McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Mike & Molly). I knew it wouldn’t be long before they paired these two comedy icons and with Identity Thief they have a perfect chemistry, just the right mix of gullibility and slapstick. With more amusing situations than any comedy in the last decade, the two play out the hapless guy vs. the smart loud-mouthed con. Although the film could have been a good 15 minutes shorter, in a way I’m glad it wasn’t as Bateman and McCarthy will probably never get a chance to provide another witty romp, unless we get a part 2.
Directing of the fast paced, action packed laugher Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses, Four Christmases) puts enough road blocks in front of the two characters on their trip from Florida to Colorado to make two movies. At times I found myself missing some of the fun because I was still reeling from the previous scene. Although you do get the connection on where he’s going with the story, it’s sometimes too much. It is especially evident at the motel when Diana picks up Big Chuck (Eric Stonestreet) at a bar and takes him back to her room for a three-way. It’s just a little too over the top for even McCarthy to play out, much less Bateman so the scene gets flat, gratuitous and meaningless.
Identity Thief has been rated R by the MPAA for sexual content and language. Be cautioned that some of the language does get very down and dirty at times. The package includes the theatrical version and an unrated version with a tad more profanity and some additional seven minutes of footage rescued from the cutting room floor.
BONUS FEATURES
- “Gag Reel” This is a very quick set of clips.
- “Alternate Takes” Several alternate takes were made during the making and here are a few.
- “Making of Identity Thief” Actually I liked this special as it gives you an insight that other making of features don’t. This special feature is nicely done and fun to watch.
- “Scene Stealing” The two stars talk about their roles and each other’s performances while some of the other cast chimes in.
- “The Skipchaser Van Tour” Here is an example of trying to be funny about what a skipchaser is all about, but we learn more about the van than the job.
The sound quality was off a bit when played using the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 in conjunction with my speaker system. The sound range changes now and then getting louder and then back to the normal. This may be an issue in the transition from screen to Blu-ray or there may be a defect in my disc. Since the film is not an action thriller however, the range difference was not overly distracting.
The video quality 1080p HD Widescreen 2.35:1 on the other hand is terrific coming off clear and clean with no distortion. The interior shots are very well lighted and the exterior vistas on the road trip in focus are nicely filmed.
Specifications and additional film information:
- Cast: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Genesis Rodriguez, Morris Chestnut, John Cho, Robert Patrick, Eric Stonestreet
- Directed by: Seth Gordon
- MPAA Rating: R for sexual content and language and Unrated Edition
- Genre: Comedy, Crime
- Running Time: 1 hr 51 min
- Video Release Date:
- Original Film Release Date: February 8, 2013
- Language: English
- Format: Blu-ray, DVD
- Audio: Blu-ray- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 also 2.0 Spanish & French
- Video: Blu-ray- 1080p HD Widescreen 2.35:1, DVD- Anamorphic Widescreen 3.35:1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- Number of Discs: 2 Discs
- Distributed by: Universal Pictures
CHECK OUT THIS BONUS CLIP FROM Identity Thief:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTgjamzYQ4k&list=PL5kPGgBxjJw7GMpVjBV_i8uQgFjbGLBA-&index=13
