Monday Movie Mania - Central Inteliigence

Bad news: we have extended family excrement hitting the spinning turbine again. Good news: The local theater chain has reinstated their $5 Tuesday tickets. We've been catching up on summer movies this way.

With the first factor we needed a good laugh. Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart seemed like a good idea, so that's the flick we hit.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) The initial premise is sweet and poignant. Calvin (Hart) is the class star in high school. He literally could not do wrong. Robbie (Johnson) is the overweight kid everyone picked on. Of course, things seem to be reversed in adulthood, but the kicker is each man is still pretty much as he was in high school.

2) The two men basically do a George Burns-Gracie Allen with Hart oddly as the Burns side. Yet, it works.

3) The uncredited cameo by Melissa McCarthy as Robbie's high school crush is totally worth a full-price admission.


CONS
1) Unfortunately, the racial and fat jokes drag down the movie. The opposites attract along with the fish out of water elements would have served the humor quotient just fine.


The flick has a terrific high concept and incredible chemistry between the stars, but the writing tries too hard and subsequently drags the movie down. If you need a perfectly pleasant diversion after a bad day at work, this is the movie for you, but don't expect the belly laughs you'd get watching Deadpool for the umpteenth time. I have to give Central Intelligence a solid 7 out of 10 stars.