Starring Kevin Hart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Central Intelligence is a fairly formulaic action comedy that surprisingly has moments of laughter. The film begins when the characters are in a high school: Hart plays Calvin, a popular jock nicknamed The Golden Jet, and Johnson plays Bob, a bullied nerd nicknamed Fat Robbie. After a particularly embarrassing episode in which Calvin helps Bob, Bob finds a lifelong bond with Calvin even if Calvin does not realize it. The movie then flashes forward twenty years later. Calvin is an accountant who feels that his life has not lived up to his expectations and is rather boring until the appearance of Bob. Dramatically changed since high school, Bob is extremely physically fit and has become an undercover CIA agent. Calvin is begrudgingly enlisted to help uncover an international terrorist plot involving spy satellites. Like most of his movie roles, Kevin Hart relies on his hyperactive, fast-talking comedy that embraces his diminutive stature. Although less funny, Dwayne Johnson’s status as an action star who is quite literally huge complements well with the clownish personality of Hart’s character. The actors’ chemistry and the sheer juxtaposition of their physical size is what makes the movie an above-average comedy. For extra measure, there are also some funny cameos from Aaron Paul, Jason Bateman, and Melissa McCarthy. Overall, the movie exceeded my expectations and serves well as a silly action comedy to help pass time during the summer blockbuster season.
KEITH on Reels 