Central Intelligence (2016)

Genre

Action | Comedy

Director

Rawson Marshall Thurber

Country

USA

Cast

Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, Aaron Paul, Danielle Nicole, Jason Bateman, Dylan Boyack,Timothy John Smith, Megan Park, Ryan Hansen, Melissa McCarthy, Thomas Kretschmann, Phil Reeves, Kumail Nanjiani, J. Jewels, Slaine

Storyline

After he reconnects with a pal (Dwayne Johnson) from high school through Facebook, accountant Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) is lured into the world of international espionage.

Opinion

As far as it concerns me, so far this year comedies have been a disappointment. Most of them were either awful ("Dirty Grandpa") or not good enough to meet my expectations ("The Nice Guys"). Also considering Kevin Hart's latest works, I wasn't excepting much from this, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. 

"Central Intelligence" in fact is an enjoyable and funny action comedy that features a fantastic chemistry between its leading duo.

The plot isn't anything that new - it's basically the same old spy story -, it's not memorable, and it does leave a lot of unanswered questions. And yes, maybe it's the typical Hollywood story lacking depth and that tries (and succeeds) to deliver the same message - just be who you are - over and over again, and it shouldn't probably work, but it does, and it's actually interesting to follow. And who cares if it's silly, it's not like the film is a serious espionage flick.

The film also delivers a good anti-bullying message. features a nice high-school pals friendship, and good humour, which is a very rare quality in nowadays comedies. Maybe there aren't a lot of laughing out loud moments, still the film manages to keep you smiling until the end. And the action really helps.

The characters arguably aren't the best of the year - and they are not even close to that - but they are interesting and enjoyable, especially because of the leading duo, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. Hart does a good job and provides the film with a lot of energy, but Johnson really steals the show as he fully commits to the hilarious and awkward role the writers created for him. Honestly, I wasn't expecting him to be so good at comedy. And of course then there is the amazing chemistry between Hart and Johnson. I really hope to see them work together again soon.