Identity Thief

While I do like the actors, and have often found each of them hilarious, particularly Jason Bateman, this just wasn't terribly good. I didn't laugh much, and I certainly didn't often laugh hard throughout this way too long movie for what it was. I like Bateman's dry straight man roles and once again, he's working the same shtick here, but the story simply failed to generate my 'caring' about any of the characters at all. An overly tidy, unrealistic happy solution seemed completely forced. Not unlike another movie I recently reviewed here, this movie tried to be everything to everyone, a comedy, a drama (seriously 'trying' to pull at the heartstrings even), even action/adventure. This falls into the same trap I remember witnessing in Cable Guy many years ago, where one half was comedy, the other, disturbing thriller. I prefer a movie has a clue what it is to begin with, sticks faithfully within reasonable bounds of that character, and rather than throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks, simply specializing in what it aims to do best and succeeding at it. This movie is none of that and as much as I like Bateman, he can't save this hodge podge of barely worthy of TV programming being passed off as a movie. Sadly, even So-So seems too much credit. Oh, P. S. for those that claimed Horrible Bosses was way better, well I really didn't like that a bit either as I now recall. Next up, Bruce Willis will try Dying Harder again. There's a series that doesn't kid itself;)