Identity Thief

''Identity Thief'' is a 2013 American road comedy film directed by Seth Gordon, written by Craig Mazin from a story by Mazin and Jerry Eeten. It stars Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, Tip 'T.I.' Harris, Genesis Rodriguez, Morris Chestnut, John Cho, Robert Patrick, and Eric Stonestreet. The film tells the fictional story of Sandy Patterson, a man whose identity is stolen by a female con artist. After the police tell him that it will take up to a year to solve the case, Sandy embarks on a cross-country road trip to find her and clear his name.

The film received negative reception from critics and grossed $175 million worldwide.

Plot

In Denver, a man named Sandy Patterson is tricked into buying phony identity theft protection from con artist Diana over the phone and he reveals all of his personal information. At work, after clashing with his boss Harold Cornish, Sandy receives a call mentioning that he has an appointment at a salon in Florida. Confused, he ignores it when co-worker Daniel Casey suggests that they and others quit and start their own firm. Sandy agrees to join them.

When paying for gas, Sandy's credit card is declined, and the clerk cuts it in half. The card company says that Sandy spent thousands of dollars in Florida, and he is arrested for missing a court date there. At the Denver police station, detective Reilly eventually determines that Diana stole Sandy's identity. Cops ask Daniel, now his boss, about Sandy's alleged possession of drugs. Sandy's name was used to buy drugs from someone named Paolo. When the cops say that they can do nothing unless the identity thief is in Denver, Sandy offers to retrieve her and convince her to clear his name.

At the salon in Winter Park, Florida, Sandy confronts Diana, who steals his rental car. Finding her address in her abandoned car, he investigates her house, which is full of merchandise and stolen credit cards. The pair scuffle; before Sandy can handcuff her, criminals Marisol and Julian burst in, angry that Diana gave Paolo bad credit cards. After Sandy and Diana escape, Sandy mentions his plan to restore his reputation, and she agrees to help. Meanwhile, a skiptracer is dispatched to track down Diana for a bounty. Because their IDs are identical, airline flight is impossible, and they travel by car.

The skiptracer eventually catches up to the pair and captures Diana. A chase ensues; she knocks him unconscious, and Sandy rams his van off the road. They take the skiptracer's van and tie him up in back. When it overheats, they continue on foot through a forest. Sandy discards his pants after finding a snake in them, and Diana accidentally knocks him unconscious when another bites his neck. Sandy wakes at a bus station; Diana carried him until she flagged down a truck. As the next bus to Denver leaves in three days, Sandy uses money hidden in his socks to buy a $200 car. Meanwhile, Marisol shoots the skiptracer, and the criminals continue their pursuit of Sandy and Diana. For gas money, the pair con an accounts processor and steal Cornish's identity to create new credit cards.

In St. Louis, the two share dinner, and Diana admits that she does not know her real name. The accounts processor enters with cops, who arrest Sandy and Diana. Diana uncuffs herself in the back of the police car, breaks the back windshield, and escapes with Sandy. The skiptracer shoots Marisol and Julian, finds Diana and Sandy on the highway mid-escape, and hits Diana with his car. Sandy comes to her aid, but Diana revives and defensively strikes him in the throat. As Sandy and Diana escape, the skiptracer is arrested by the police alongside Marisol and Julian. Diana and Sandy get home where Diana has dinner with Sandy's family and reconciles with them. That night, Sandy and his wife secretly agree not to turn in Diana even if it means that he will lose his job.

The next morning, Sandy finds Diana gone and a note that apologizes for the trouble she caused. Sandy prepares to quit his job, but Daniel shows him that Diana is meeting with the police in an office. Diana is later taken away in cuffs, and Sandy is no longer part of the investigation.

One year later, Sandy celebrates another birthday, this time with his third child. The family visits Diana in prison, and Sandy presents her with a birth certificate that reveals her real name as Dawn Budgie. Diana then hugs Sandy and goes inside, but when a female guard antagonizes her, she punches her, and another guard stuns her with a taser. As she recovers and walks back to her cell, Sandy watches with a shocked expression.

Cast

Production

The film was first conceived as a project with two male leads, but that changed when Bateman saw McCarthy in ''Bridesmaids'' and pushed for her to star alongside him. Jerry Eeten wrote an early draft, later finished by Craig Mazin with a final rewrite by Seth Gordon. In January 2012, Gordon was announced as the director of the film with Scott Stuber producing through his Stuber Pictures banner with Bateman and Peter Morgan for DumbDumb. In April 2012, John Cho, Clark Duke and Amanda Peet joined the cast. In May 2012, Jon Favreau and Morris Chestnut also joined the cast.

Some filming took place in Atlanta at the 191 Peachtree Tower, around May 2012. Scenes were also filmed on Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta, at The Colonnade restaurant on Cheshire Bridge Road in Morningside, and at Perimeter Mall. Scenes from the film were also shot at Salon 2000 in Ansley Mall.

Release

In March 2012, a release date of May 10, 2013 was announced. In June 2012, the release date changed to February 8, 2013.

Home media

''Identity Thief'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 4, 2013.

Reception

Box office

''Identity Thief'' grossed $134.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $40.9 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $175.4 million against a budget of $35 million.

''Identity Thief'' opened at #1 at the box office with $34.6 million in its first weekend, which was considered remarkable by analysts since a major winter storm, often a concern with winter dump months releases, forced theater closings and kept moviegoers at home in the densely populated Northeast.

Critical response

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

R. Kurt Osenlund of ''Slant Magazine'' gave the film a positive review, rating it 3 out of 4 stars, praising McCarthy's performance, writing that she "gives a performance leagues better than anything to be expected in a mainstream, early-in-the-year release, padding a typically sketched character with layers of hilarity and pathos. McCarthy owns 'Identity Thief' with a turn of limitless surprise, making an otherwise adequate comedy soar as a star vehicle. She is riveting in simply-penned moments of remorse and confession, adding tearful depth to her ace timing and formidable physical comedy."
Peter Debruge of '' Variety magazine'' praises McCarthy but criticizes the script, saying "Melissa McCarthy proves she’s got what it takes to carry a feature, however meager the underlying material."
Richard Roeper of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film 2 out of 4 and wrote: "It wants to be "Midnight Run" meets " Planes, Trains and Automobiles," but it carries little of the dramatic heft and real-world semi-plausibility of those much superior efforts." He concludes "Here's hoping someone finds a much better vehicle for these terrifically talented actors."

Bob Mondello for NPR described the film as "Two Hours Stolen", calling it "a catalog of missed opportunities", and "uninspired trudge of a road movie". Mondello particularly criticizes the script for wasting the talented lead performers, setting up Bateman as stupid and dull, while subverting McCarthy's improvisational skills and undercutting her comic timing with interruptions.
James Berardinelli of ReelViews.com gave the film 1 out 4 and wrote: "This feels a lot like some of the recent, unwatchable Adam Sandler offerings: boorish, unfunny comedy colliding with saccharine, quasi-dramatic filler." He thought the trailer was a fair representation of the film and that viewers that liked it might get more than the few chuckles he got out of the film. Berardinelli says the film is not simply bad but
manages to "cross the line into reprehensible."
Dana Stevens at Slate.com considers the implications of the “brazenly grotesque" character that McCarthy plays and how it is an uneasy balance between feminist trailblazing and preservation of stereotypes. Stevens would be more willing to forgive the film for "its overfamiliar comic setups and shameless gag-recycling if the movie’s second half didn’t make such an abrupt about-face from soliciting our revulsion to begging for our pity."

In his negative review, Rex Reed made several references to Melissa McCarthy's weight, referring to her as "tractor-sized," "humongous," "obese," and a "hippo," Reed's comments received criticism from various film critics. Reed stood by his comments and stated his objection to the use of serious health issues such as obesity as comedy talking points. He dismissed the outrage as being orchestrated for publicity, but praised McCarthy for not getting involved in the matter, calling her "completely classy." McCarthy later responded, expressing surprise the review was published, and said "I felt really bad for someone who is swimming in so much hate. I just thought, that’s someone who’s in a really bad spot, and I am in such a happy spot. I laugh my head off every day with my husband and my kids".

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Identity Thief
2013 films
2013 crime comedy films
2010s comedy road movies
American comedy road movies
American crime comedy films
Films about identity theft
Films directed by Seth Gordon
Films produced by Scott Stuber
Films scored by Christopher Lennertz
Films set in Colorado
Films set in Denver
Films set in Georgia (U.S. state)
Films set in St. Louis
Films shot in Atlanta
Films shot in Colorado
Relativity Media films
Universal Pictures films
2010s English-language films
2010s American films
Films with screenplays by Craig Mazin
English-language crime comedy films