Central Intelligence (2016)

[baumer]

Let's do it

[Frozen]

This movie was hilarious and a lot of fun. Great cameos too. 

 

The Rock's character was all over place though. 

[filmlover]

Predictable but packs in plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, makes great use of the terrific chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. B

[somebody85]

Not really much to say about it. It's the type of movie that you forget about pretty shortly afterwards but it's really enjoyable while watching it. Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart have great chemistry. Dwayne plays Bob with a lot of heart. Kevin Hart dials it down a bit but is still too much Kevin Hart. He has a few too many annoying sporadic squealing scenes. I still laughed a lot but can't really pick out any scenes that weren't already in the trailers offhand.

The weakest part of the movie was the by the numbers plot. But at the same time I appreciated that it wasn't convoluted. It was very straight forward and that made it easy to focus on the chemistry between the two leads instead.

The surprise cameos were all fun. Jason Bateman would not have mocked Bob in his current state though....no way lol.

Also loved all the callbacks to Sixteen Candles. Love John Hughes.

 

Solid B movie.

Edited June 23, 2016 by somebody85

[Alpha]

Decent enough, I guess. The Rock and Kevin Hart had pretty great chemistry in this movie. Also enjoyed Jason Bateman and Kumail Nanjiani's (aka Dinesh from Silicon Valley) cameos. Overall, it's just one of those comedy movies that only has one or two laugh-out loud moments (for me it was when Bob sends Calvin softcore porn when the latter's at work, my sides still hurt), but you're still having a good time watching it.

 

B/B-

[DAJK]

Don't think that my C grade means I didn't enjoy the movie, cause I did. I chuckled quite a bit, but for a comedy to get a seriously good grade from me, I need at least 1 "can't breathe laugh out loud scene" which this didn't quite have. Still, it was enjoyable enough, and Hart and the Rock are great together.

 

6/10

[Blankments]

Central Intelligence is a fun action-comedy that gets only half of it right. The comedy is on point, being either uproariously hysterical or just really enjoyable to watch. The action, however, is an incoherent mess despite some creative ideas being utilized in said fights. This is probably thanks to the PG-13 rating, and one has to wonder why in the age of R-rated comedies that this is PG-13. It doesn't need the vulgarity for humor, but if the action was shot with a more steady hand, then the humor utilized within the action would be maximized. The Rock and Kevin Hart make a great pair, and consistently one-up each other in the humor. Thurber shoots the film like a USA procedural though, and it lacks any cinematic identity because of it. Central Intelligence is funny and features two strong comedic lead performances, but ultimately doesn't reach its ultimate potential thanks to a lack of boldness in the filmmaking. C+

[Dementeleus]

I liked it a lot. Was it really sold as an action-comedy, @Blanks McCoy? I wasn't expecting one.

[Blankments]

I don't really know, I didn't see much promotion for it But going off the film itself, it's pretty action-packed but yet doesn't really have captivating-shot action. Especially if you compare it to like Spy, which is three or four memorable action scenes in it along with being really funny.

 

That said, I still like the movie overall and didn't find it a waste of time. It was really clear the Rock and Kevin Hart had a lot of fun making it too, which came out in their chemistry. I'll probably come around to it when it's on TV someday, like I did with Spy lol

[Dementeleus]

Huh, I guess I disagree. Not really about the action stuff, just that you would factor that as a negative in what seemed to me to be a straight-up comedy (with a few minor action moments).

[Cmasterclay]

Yea, this was also appreciably small-scale and well-paced, especially in the climax. Ends with just a simple showdown on the bridge. It has the direction/production value of a Lifetime movie, but the script is sharper than I expected in all regards and the Rock/Hart are magic on-screen. A fun little bit of summer entertainment. 

[Blankments]

Maybe blaming it on the action primarily also gets away from my central point of contention with the movie (it's just that it's most evident in the action scenes): it doesn't look cinematic at all. Compared to say a comedy like Spy, the Jump Streets, or even Neighbors, it's shot like a TV show in tone and in cuts. Maybe I just noticed it because my parents watch a lot of USA and TNT, but it bothers me that you've got these two huge actors doing their stuff well but the direction drops the ball a bit

 

IDK, I guess we just can agree to disagree, especially since I thought the movie was still worth the two hour investment and is probably still one of the better movie I've seen this summer.  

[Cmasterclay]

I'm there with you Blank- this movie felt like a mediocre TNT drama in terms of how it was shot and staged. Very TV movie, but not HBO TV movie. I think I expected that, though, and was able to enjoy it more because the comedy is a ton of fun. 

[Dementeleus]

I'm hard-pressed to think of any recent comedy that feels cinematic to me.

[MrPink]

3 hours ago, Free State of Tele said:

I'm hard-pressed to think of any recent comedy that feels cinematic to me.

 

The Hangover Part III 

 

 

[Webslinger]

I wasn't a fan. Johnson and Hart have solid chemistry, but the momentum slowly fizzles out after a strong first act (perhaps not coincidentally, once the action gets going).

 

C

[Jonwo]

I really liked it, the chemistry between Johnson and Hart is very strong. It's not a masterpiece by any means but it's an entertaining comedy which has a good message. 

[mdot1982]

It was okay. I think they were going for a 'Twins' vibe, but not enough scenes to let the rock shine as the dumb oaf. He also fell in and out of character. It was an okay movie and I'll give it a ...

 

C ... rental / Netflix 

[dxmatrixdt]

C+ The chemistry was good.  Close to a B-.  I thought it was a really solid performance by Dwayne Johnson.

[MovieGuyKyle17]

Central Intelligence: Going into the film, I was a little skeptical mainly because Kevin Hart has always been hit or miss for me. So I was a little relieved when he took a step back in this film and was more the straight character to Dwayne Johnson. Speaking of the Rock, Johnson is fantastic in this role. What I love about his character is that even though he lost all that weight from high school and is now a CIA Agent, he still has that awkwardness from High School that really made him relatable. The comedy is mostly solid and the chemistry between Hart and Johnson was what really kept the film together. The plot is nothing to write home about, but it doesn't bring the film down. The film also has some really good cameos. This is an very enjoyable summer comedy.
Grade: B+