Central Intelligence

In the past year or more I've become a big fan of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. 

I think he has really come into his own as an actor ever since Fast Five and I appreciate the effort he puts into his roles. 

He's also one hell of a guy, which I've learned from following him on Instagram. He's come from some very low points in his life and he's an incredibly hard worker who takes more time than any other celebrity for his fans. Sure, you could argue that's all for show, but I get the sense that he's genuinely a great guy. 

On top of that, he's obviously a beast, and I've really looked up to him as my motivation when working out and weightlifting...not to mention his Project Rock partnership with Under Armour is awesome. 

So now that I've gushed about one of my favorite movie stars, I'll admit that I don't know a whole hell of a lot about Kevin Hart the same way I do Johnson. I think Hart is outrageously funny in small doses and I know he's incredibly hard working. Past that though, I'm not super familiar with much of his work, outside of his great stand-ups. 

I knew exactly what type of movie Central Intelligence was going to be going into it, despite how much Johnson tried to sell it on his Instagram. It would have a few chuckles, be a fun diversion, but ultimately forgettable. I wanted to see it regardless because I like supporting movie stars who cherish their fans, and I'll admit I think it looked entertaining. My premonitions about the film weren't wrong at all as Central Intelligence pairs a great duo in the confines of an "okay" film. 

The Rock is coincidentally my therapist too!!

Johnson's shoulder is bigger than Hart's head

The best part about Central Intelligence is Johnson's version of Bob "Robbie" Stone. For a few initial minutes I thought it was just some bad acting by The Rock, but it was really the quirks of the character. Bob hates bullies because he was bullied so bad in high school, and he enjoys just being himself -- wearing unicorn shirts, jorts, and fanny packs. I dont think any of this was as funny as the writers were hoping for, but it makes Bob an endearing character and it brings some depth to some of the film's more touching moments. Kevin Hart's Calvin is a fine character as well and the two's different paths in life make for some good interactions. Hart is quite funny here, though there are parts where I was tired of all his shouting, but I found Johnson to have the funniest bits. He's gotten very good at dry humor and quick one liners and there are some chortles to be had throughout. Unfortunately, Central Intelligence does not keep up the trend of "great" 2016 comedies as this one has a pretty poor hit rate overall. I'd say I was amused by most jokes and laughed audibly at only a third of them. When your immediate competition is The Other Guys, who's possibly funniest scene had Johnson in it interestingly enough, it's hard to not be a tad disappointed they couldn't get better writers. Last year, this may have been serviceable, but in a mind-blowing comedy year such as 2016, it's going to fade to the background quickly. 

"I took a poop in that cart..."

While the story is nothing to write to Christopher Nolan about, I was quite surprised how much it kept me guessing. In addition to some great side casting/cameos, it does a good job at keeping you guessing who's motives are well intentioned and who's are not, without making it feel cheap or poorly explained. Again, nothing amazing, but still nice to see the effort. As for the action? Again, it's competent, but it won't be remembered much because of all the great action we've seen already this year. It could have been better filmed (i.e. angles and cuts) but I appreciated the tempered use of shaky cam. Johnson has a few well choreographed beats and Hart has some funny moments, but overall it's a fun diversion. 

Ultimately, that's what Central Intelligence is: a fun diversion. Given that I think the film knows that already, it's hard to fault it for that and the fact that its leads are two hard working, fan-appreciating stars, I don't have any problem with giving it my money. Will it be on any lists by the end of 2016? No probably not. But it'll likely be a film that I'll gladly watch on TV when it goes into syndication several years from now and have no qualms with the way I'm spending my time. 

CONS:

• Rough hit rate of jokes. Not to fault Johnson and Hart -- it's the writer's problem -- but there are few "LOL" moments
• The action could have used some better editing
• Little overlong
• Hart gets annoying once or twice
• Forgettable

PROS:

• The jokes that do land are quite funny
• Johnson's Bob is a unique character and the film's heart comes from his high school torment
• Johnson and Hart have some solid chemistry. Here's hoping they can work together in the future
• Hart definitely has some funny moments and reactions
• Great side cast and extended cameos
• The story is surprisingly hard to figure out, but easy to follow. Character motives are questioned up until the very end
• Fun and definitely entertaining

Rath's Review Score: 7/10