The Heat review

A new comedy from the director of Bridesmaids, featuring the break-out star of that film, alongside the queen of US comedy, Sandra Bullock, is a dead cert to be funny, right? Thankfully, on the evidence of The Heat, the answer is an unequivocal ‘yes’.

Melissa McCarthy plays Shannon Mullins, an uncouth Boston detective whose methods are frowned upon but, obviously, she gets results. Bullock plays Sarah Ashburn, an uptight and prissy FBI agent who is strictly by the book. You don’t need to be Stephen Hawking to work out that the pair will soon be working together and initially their relationship can best be described as ‘frosty’.

However, the well-used buddy cop formula is not the point here. The point is watching two of the best comedic actors in the world, supported by a great cast and marshalled by a super-hot comedy director delivering hilarious lines as frequently as possible and, on that front, it delivers in spades.

The plot involves the pair having to track down a ruthless Boston drug ring - nothing new - but Bullock and McCarthy are on top form, with McCarthy in particular cementing her position as THE hottest property in cinematic comedy. She’s so on top of her game and working with such a sharp script from Katie Dippold, that you feel every time she opens her mouth she could deliver comic gold. Bullock is as good as ever so it’s no surprise The Heat has been the summer’s biggest comedy stateside.

One note to add, it’s great to see Tom Wilson (Biff Tannen from Back To The Future) in a supporting role as McCarthy’s put-upon captain. Can Hollywood people please put him in more films?