Bullock, McCarthy Mix Havoc with Hysterics in Buddy Cop Comedy 'The Heat'

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are both cops, but complete opposites in "The Heat."

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are no strangers to generating breakout comedic success stories over the summer months. Back in 2009, Bullock flexed her comedic wit as a stuffy exec who forces Ryan Reynolds into marrying her to avoid deportation in the romantic comedy, The Proposal. Likewise, audiences recall McCarthy from her notably raunchy, over-the-top performance in Bridesmaids.

Paul Feig, who helmed Bridesmaids back in 2011 is back in the directorial saddle for The Heat. In The Heat, Bullock and McCarthy clash as a by-the-books FBI agent and a local detective each assigned by their respective bureaus to bring down a mysterious drug lord in the heart of Boston. Taking few risks from the buddy cop formula that flashes rehash in bright lights, the success of The Heat solely hinges on the chemistry between the two lead actresses.

Surprisingly enough, Feig follows the success of Bridesmaids with yet another laugh out loud comedy that needs to trim roughly 10 minutes of fat to tighten the highly predictable plot. One of the glaring issues with Bridesmaids was its length and Feig hasn't acknowledged mending that flaw in The Heat. There's nothing worse than a movie than a comedy that finds itself padded with unnecessary additions to the overall plot.

The buddy cop movie has worn out its welcome over the years with the few exceptions here and there, but despite being loaded with a plethora of clichés, The Heat thrives by offering up ridiculous, yet entertaining circumstances anchored by a harmless continuous bickering contest between an uptight Bullock and crude McCarthy. And like his previous film, Feig crafts a few gross-out scenes that are definite head-turners that contribute to the comedy, but added for maxing out a justified R-rating for the foul-mouthed film.

The exchanges between the two are surely rinse and repeat as McCarthy is limited to every obscene word under the sun while Bullock retorts with nauseating professionalism. At opposite ends of the professional spectrum, neither actress has any trump cards under the radar to give The Heat's plot a good shake. If the two keep going the path they're both on right now, expect more typecast roles for both actresses and an unavoidable Heat sequel down the road.

Without the over-the-top antics of Bullock and McCarthy, there's nothing from the ordinary that stands out about The Heat. Two entertaining actresses get on each other's nerves for a good portion of the film, but there's no real investment with what's happening in the case or how it affects the people involved. Tropes are thrown in just for the sake of meeting buddy cop criteria, but with throwaway one-dimensional villains and side characters, the entire plot is prodded by the notion that two completely opposite people have to put aside their differences and become partners.

Feig shoehorns a serious moment every once and a while to momentarily ground the film that includes a short dramatic subplot, but it's the ludicrous moments that gravitate towards an somewhat engaging plot. As expected, Bullock has her strengths with the dramatic side of the coin and McCarthy with comedy. Watching McCarthy work through the few serious scenes is one of The Heat's largest hurdles to overcome and throwing in a life-threatening situation into the story is an unnecessary gash on the overall story, but is forced in there for character development.

The Heat doesn't push beyond the fact that it's just another hysterical buddy cop movie with girls and guns and raunchy humor. With very few comedies being released with any sort of success so far in 2013, The Heat is a big fish in a small pool that's biding its time before the big guns come out and play.  

GRADE: B- (7/10)