Really Surprised!

Instant Favorite.

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Amateur movie with Big budget

Moderately amusing "comedy" following a Denver businessman (Jason Bateman) who chases Melissa McCarthy -an Orlando thief who stole his identity and ruined his credit rating with a huge spending spree. When the local authorities refuse to do anything he heads to Orlando to personally capture her.I don't think I actually LOL at any point during this movie, parts were uncomfortable, the humour crass especially on Melissa McCarthy's part, she is just a horrible person in this. Bateman plays it straight, almost dull his character. I did enjoy the redemptive ending and cameos by Jon Favreau, Robert Patrick, Robert banks and John Cho.The storyline is somewhat implausible too, what with the police not helping or phoning to inform of spending in another state and also being okay with Bateman going after a criminal. The road trip however is amusing with influences of 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles'.

I wonder how any film company can possibly finance a script so poor? Bateman tries valiantly but he cannot rise above a pathetic script that completely emasculates and stupefies his character. McCarthy seems to play herself, supposedly someone with a larger than life sense of humor, but her actions verge on the psychotic and that is a mixture as volatile as it is unbelievable - and even repellent.The only "good" thing about this movie is that it repeats a much trotted out warning about not giving away your personal info, what with identity thieves all over the place waiting to scam you.IDENTITY THIEF is an insult to any law-abiding citizen's intelligence. I give this rubbish one star because the system does not allow me to ZERO it!

This movie is not just bad, it is an insult to intelligence, good taste and sense of humour. I started watching it because I liked Bateman in "Horrible Bosses", but I soon regretted my choice.Bateman is Sandy Patterson an alleged financial wizard, who is as stupid as to give all his personal details over the phone to a perfect stranger, who called him about "problems" with his credit card.Mc Carthy plays her usual character: a loudmouth, aggressive, crude woman with a psychotic streak. I live in Europe and don't watch much TV, but I read that McCarthy is a TV star in the USA, and she has –allegedly – an acting range. Unfortunately, I could not detect any in the few movies I saw, "dis-graced" by her presence.In this one, besides being utterly repulsive and criminally so, she indulges in sex with an obese guy, in one of the most cringe-worthy scenes ever. I guess it was supposed to be a politically correct way to show that even obese people find each other attractive and have sex. I do not care if they do, but I most certainly do not want to watch them doing it.The plot is supposed to be an "on the road, buddy comedy" where the fraudster bonds with her victim. Very believable, if you actually wants to become best friend with the person who stole all your money. Truly awful, besides being unbelievably stupid.

There hasn't been a decent comedic road trip movie since Todd Phillips' 2000 comedy, 'Road Trip'. And with the recent 'Guilt Trip' flick not performing well, I had some hope that 'Identity Thief' would spark another engine in the comedy genre. Unfortunately, due to the scripted laughs, and unlikable main character, it falls it bit flat. I have no doubt though that the talented Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman will bring in big numbers at the box office, however the word will spread quickly that 'Identity Thief' is forgettable and ultimately unsatisfying.Now I'll be the first to admit that I love everything Melissa McCarthy is in from 'Gilmore Girls' to 'Mike and Molly'. And with her performance in 'Bridesmaids', she rose to an uncharted level of stardom. She's a lot of fun on screen and a comedic genius, however her small part in 'Bridesmaids' had more laughs than her leading role in 'Identity Thief'. And by having a non-comedic supportive cast, it really lowered the level of comedy throughout.The victim of this 'Identity Thief' is good-guy Sandy Bigelow Patterson (Jason Bateman), who is a loving family man who works as a finance guy at a major company. When his fast talking boss (Jon Favreau) tells him to only send giant bonus checks to the executives, he joins several other employees to leave this current company and start their own, led by Daniel Casey (John Cho), who promises Sandy he'll be vice-president and more than quadruple his salary.However, before you can say "new job", Sandy's credit cards stop working and is eventually arrested for credit card fraud. Quickly, the police and him realize that his identity has been stolen and all of these enormous tabs have been originating in Winter Park, Florida, whereas Sandy lives in Denver, Colorado. After the cop (Morris Chestnut) tells him that it could take a year to fix all the damage that has been done to his name and credit, and after his new boss Casey tells him he has a week to sort out this situation or else his job is gone, Sandy sets out to Florida to deal with this thief.The thief in question has several names, but goes by Diana (Melissa McCarthy) most of the time. She has seemingly led a life of being alone and stealing others' identities for many years as appliance in her house, she has more than four of and spends her days shopping for outrageous things and by night she runs up hefty charges at the local clubs and bars, and is not above fighting or puking on strangers. Once the Sandy arrives in Florida, he quickly and easily locates Diana, to which Diana acts violently. However, after a car crash and few hits to the throat, Diane decides to join Sandy back to Colorado to right the wrongs with his new boss so that he can keep his job, and as long as she doesn't have to speak to the police.In a weird and unnecessary plot twist, Sandy is not the only one after Diana, as a jailed gangster (Jonathan Banks) has hired two hit men (T.I. Harris & Genesis Rodriguez) to take her out as well as a hell-bent bounty hunter (Robert Patrick) who will stop at nothing to bring her to his own form of justice. They both realize they can't fly back as Diana has no real form of ID, they decide to drive back to Denver, and Sandy can only hope he can make it back within a week's time.The one fatal flaw with this film is McCarthy's character, Diana. She comes across way too rude, offensive, and is very abrasive. Yes, she has a soft side, but we don't see it hardly at all. Even when we do, it's quickly taken away by her assaulting behavior. Diana is so unlikable in this film, that at times you wish that Otis Driftwood and Captain Spaulding would show up and teach her a permanent lesson.But that's not to say that McCarthy doesn't do a good job. She does a phenomenal job as she was the best part of the film showing her emotional range and making us feel for her, even if it's for a split second. Bateman plays the straight-laced guy to a tee, just like always, and is joined by an amazing supporting cast that is way under- used. There are a few laughs here and there, but nothing that's gut-busting. 'Identity Thief' might draw a strong crowd opening weekend, but that crowd will leave unfulfilled.