Hot Pursuit * (2015, Reese Witherspoon, Sofía Vergara, Matthew Del Negro) – Movie Review

Reese Witherspoon and Sofía Vergara are certainly game for a laugh but have nothing fresh or funny to add to 2013’s very similar The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.

This time it’s Witherspoon who plays the uptight, klutzy and idiotically by-the-book cop called Cooper, whose job it is to try to protect Daniella (Vergara), the flamboyant, newly widowed wife of a drug boss as they race through Texas to testify in court, pursued by crooked cops and murderous gunmen. Yes, there’s some bits of Midnight Run in here too.

Alas, this is not good material for Oscar-winner Witherspoon, whose comedy touch deserts her as she shows little idea how to play slapstick, low-brow farce. She can’t, for example, fall through a window and raise a laugh. When she was funny in the pre-Walk the Line days, she was wittily funny in sly, serious and sophisticated comedies, like Pleasantville, Election, Cruel Intentions and The Importance of Being Earnest.

There really is nothing new or funny in David Feeney and John Quaintance’s formulaic screenplay, which throws in everything they know to raise laughs, including mocking (gently enough, I guess) hot Latins, women with big boobs. short women, older women, lesbians and old folks.

The film ends up like its star, slick and short and, this time round at least, unamusing. Admittedly, the oddly appealing Vergara gets by a bit better as a good sport, gamely spoofing her sexy Latina persona. It’s a one-note act, but it is amusing.

The men have a pretty hard time here. John Carroll Lynch co-stars as another unfunny character, Captain Emmett, Matthew Del Negro plays Detective Hauser and Michael Mosley is Detective Dixon.

Those who are prepared to suspend disbelief, go with the flow, are fans of the stars and are up for an undemanding comedy, might be on Hot Pursuit’s side and find some laughs. They will probably also like all the bloopers over the end credits.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

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