Central Intelligence: Movie Review
Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson can be very funny. However, a little Hart can go a long way and he tends to outstay his welcome most of the time. Having said that, I was more than a little surprised that in “Central Intelligence”, it was Dwayne Johnson that got on my nerves. There are moments that he did make me chuckle, but this is definitely one of his oddest performances to date. (Yes, I saw “Pain & Gain”).
Calvin Joyner (Hart) had it made in high school. He was the most popular, had the most beautiful girlfriend, and was at the top of his class. Calvin was on top of the world. On the other side of the spectrum was Robbie (Johnson), also known as Fat Robbie. He was bullied, teased, and friendless. When a group of kids pull Robbie out of the school showers and toss him into the gym during an assembly, everyone laughed, except for Calvin, who gave Robbie his jacket. After that horrific moment, Robbie was never seen or heard from again.
Twenty years later, Calvin’s glory days are long gone and now he is a CPA who is unhappy with the direction his life has taken. With the exception of marrying his high school sweetheart Maggie (Danielle Nicolet), Calvin wishes for something more out of life. When Robbie suddenly resurfaces in the neighborhood (now calling himself Bob Stone), he reaches out to the only person who was ever nice to him, Calvin.
After a night of drinking and fun, Bob convinces Calvin to help him out with a financial matter, which turns out to be something much bigger. It turns out that Bob is an FBI agent and after a criminal that framed him for the murder of his partner and the theft of government secrets. Agent Pamela Harris (Amy Ryan) is after Bob and now Calvin is caught in the middle.
“Central Intelligence” features leads who have the capability of really being funny. The potential is right there. Even director Rawson Marshall Thurber (“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story”, “We’re the Millers”) has a good track record for broad comedy. The biggest problem for me was Johnson, who I am usually a big fan of. I realize that there is a very specific reason why his character acts the way he does, but the performance is so over the top, that it just doesn’t work.
“Central Intelligence” does have a very clear and defined message about the harm that can come from bullying. It is a strong message but I felt like it was being shoved in my face rather than delivered. The climax was also extremely predictable, but it usually is in a film like this. I am not going to say there weren’t any laughs, but there were just not enough. I did get a kick out of the “Sixteen Candles” references though. “Central Intelligence” isn’t terrible, it’s just light on actual intelligence.
By: Marc Ferman