Movie Reviews : Central Intelligence (2016)
Finally a movie with Kevin Hart that I enjoyed with all of my heart!
I just saw a sneak preview of Central Intelligence, and I really haven't had such laughs for a long time. Kevin Hart plays Calvin "Golden Jet" Joyner who peaked in high school, and now is an accountant who can't seem to win. Enter the Rock (Dwayne Johnson) as Bob Stone aka Robbie Weirdicht who acts like a man-child with hero worship for Calvin. They were never really friends, but Calvin was the only one who didn't laugh when Robbie Weirdicht was humiliated in front of the whole senior class, and actually helped him out.
Kevin Hart does a great job through the first half of the movie playing the straight man while the Rock hams things up. While the Rock's role is over-the-top, he plays it with such sincerity, it's absolutely a riot to watch. I usually don't like when a character's embarrassing behavior is the point of the comedy, but in this case it really works well.
The plot twist arrives relatively early on (minor spoiler), when the CIA shows up and tells Calvin that "Bob Stone" is a rogue operative. For the rest of the movie Calvin is freaking out because he is caught between the CIA and his old high school acquaintance. Calvin has to figure out who to believe, as both sides tell the same story, with slight critical differences.
Amy Ryan does a great job as the cold CIA operative, Agent Pamela Harris, trying to hunt done Bob Stone. She has the sharp dead-pan act down, which lets Kevin Hart play his usual loud squirming act.
There are a number of action scenes, but frankly they are over way too quickly. Sure it makes "Bob Stone" look super impressive in how quickly he can dispatch adversaries, but I prefer actually being able to see the action, and appreciate the skills involved.
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie, and judging from the laughter and smiles on the preview audience leaving the theater, I wasn't the only one.
I can't say enough about this movie. From the action to the comedy to the direction, everything involved was top notch. So refreshing to see Kevin Hart in a more serious role, instead of forcing comedy as many of his movies such as Get Hard become. The real star here though is The Rock who really gets to show off his comedic chops with his goofy and lovable character.
The other great thing is that the trailer did not give away the other cast members of the film. The story is also rewarding as there is solid character development, all of which is can be familiar to many. Something that in a summer action blockbuster is usually non-existent.
Keep an eye out for Rawson Marshall Thurber (Were The Millers and Dodgeball) as he is going to continue to be a rising star.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson brings a lot to this, and is already known as Dwayne "The Franchise Viagra" Johnson, so this is going to be big!
The bromance between the characters is much more believable than Harts movies with Ice Cube, Josh Gad or Will Ferrell. And Dwayne Johnson freshens up our memories of his performance in the 2005 comedy "Be Cool".
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