When a film has a tagline as witty and sharp as Central Intelligence's – "Saving the world takes a little Hart and a big Johnson" — something tells me that the producers came up with that pun first and decided to commission a script around it after. True enough, this film is an excuse to have Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart play delightfully silly characters amidst a fairly disposable plot. It really doesn't matter because you won't see this film for a complex plot, you'll see this film for some good laughs. The hit-to-miss ratio is surprisingly higher than you expect.

In Central Intelligence, Johnson plays a formerly morbidly obese high school student named Robbie Wierdicht (yes, it's pronounced as Weird Dick, hah!) who was subjected to a horribly cruel prank twenty years ago. He now resurfaces as Bob Stone, a herculean CIA agent who decides to reunite with his only friend in high school, Calvin "The Golden Jet" Joyner (Hart) — back then Central High's "most likely to succeed" student. Ironically, he is now living an unexceptional adult life as a mid-level accountant stuck in a rocky marriage. Little does Calvin know, what started as a mysterious Facebook friend request to a casual catch-up is Stone's silent attempt to enlist Calvin as his unwilling sidekick in a deadly mission to track down stolen U.S. satellite codes and stop a wanted kingpin called the "Black Badger" from obtaining them.

In his previous comedies (Ride Along and Get Hard), Hart is often portrayed as a fast- talking shtick at the center of attention. In this film, We're The Miller's director Rawson Marshall Thurber, who co- wrote the script with Bob Fisher and Steve Faber, breaks this stereotype by subduing Hart to a serious straight-up role and giving the goofy prankster role to Johnson (responsible for pulling off most of the verbal and physical gags). The role reversal works with the slapstick comedy thanks to both actors' exhilarating chemistry and sharp performance. Their size juxtaposition alone is a joke in itself. "Pint-sized" squeaky-voiced Hart, with all his outbursts and babbling, mixes panic and rage probably better than any actor. As for Johnson, he keeps up with expectations here whether by simply donning fanny packs, unicorn t-shirts, and uber-tight pajamas; or flaunting his cartoonish manliness against a character who is surprisingly sensitive and still embarrassed with his past. Central Intelligence is given more depth when it deals with our main characters' high school baggage – Calvin's frustration on his life turning not the way he expected, and Bob's self-esteem issues due to the serious and lasting effects of bullying.

Don't get me wrong, the exhausting espionage plot struggles to have any shred of intelligence to it. It is quite perfunctory to the point that it might as well fade into a background noise. It even falls apart to utter nonsense by the end when the plot twist is revealed and judging by their focus on comedy, the filmmakers seems to be fine leaving the plot holes unpatched. Neither are the villains written with deep thought as they are all cardboard bad guys who are homophobes, bullies, mercenaries or a combination thereof. Apart from the comedy itself, the film apologizes in its shortcomings by boasting a roster of cameos that I'll leave unmentioned for the sake of surprise.

You can groan at its dumb plot, get antsy over action scenes where no one (not even trained CIA gunmen) can shoot straight or frown at Calvin and Stone whispering strategies whilst pointed with guns, but Central Intelligence is hard to dislike because Johnson and Hart shine perfectly in their roles and hence, elevate this film from subpar to moderately enjoyable. Without them, this film will be as useful as a bag of rocks. That being said, Central Intelligence can be a good distraction during a hot summer day.

72 out of 87 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

8/10

Mega Fun with Great Chemistry Between its Two Leads,

Central Intelligence is a great movie with a well developed plot and a terrific comedic cast. It's a fun, mindless comedy action that you can switch off from reality while watching and have a good time, there are many side splitting moments and even parts that had me at the edge of my seat. The writers did a great job of making us care for these characters before they set off on their journey, which helped out in the long run. However, the pacing was certainly slow, it was not as action packed and intense as the trailers made it out to be, there's a lot of slower moments, even times where I was begging for some plot development instead of mindless comedy. The cast are terrific, Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson shine in the lead roles and their chemistry is the film's highlight, they are joined by a stellar supporting cast that includes Amy Ryan and Aaron Paul, as well as a few brilliant cameos. It also deserves credit for switching roles and getting the lead actors to do something unexpected of them, putting the well known comedian, Hart, in a straight role and putting an action star, Johnson, as the flamboyant, over the top character, this differentiated the movie, making it more interesting. Though it may not be as exciting as the trailers made it seem, Central Intelligence is simple fun, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good action or comedy.

An accountant gets himself in trouble with the law after reuniting with an old high school acquaintance looking to prove his innocence.

Best Performance: Aaron Paul

52 out of 80 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

6/10

Big Hart

Central Intelligence sees a high school fat kid Rob Wierdich who is humiliated at his last day in school being transformed into muscular but timid Rob Stone (Dwayne Johnson) who is now a CIA operative.

Twenty years later and with a high school reunion on the horizon Stone hooks up with Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) the star student known as the Golden Jet and the only one who came to Wierdich's aid. Joyner's career as an accountant has not been as stellar that high school promised but Stone wants to use his skills to decrypt some financial transactions. The agency thinks that Stone has gone rogue and are out to get him.

This is essentially a buddy action comedy. Hart is actually the straight man, leaving the light goofy comedy to Johnson. They make a good team but the plot is too formulaic and unadventurous. Still the offbeat characterisation from Hart and Johnson makes this film amusing enough.

13 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

5/10

Surprisingly Fun

Recently a lot of Kevin Hart's movies have been pretty lack luster. The Ride Along movies and Get Hard were shredded by critics. When I saw the trailer for Central Intelligence, I thought this would be just another one of those flicks. Thankfully, I was very wrong! The page here lists the film as an "action, comedy, crime" movie but really it is more of a "action, comedy, drama" flick. Dwayne Johnson plays the gentle giant Bob Stone/Robby Weirdicht (haha pun) who works for the CIA while Kevin Hart plays the everyday joe Calvin Joyner (a nice change of pace in my opinion). These two are the reason this film works as pure entertainment. They have great chemistry together and they play rather interesting characters. Robby is on the same level as Jason Bourne when it comes to hand to hand combat and other spy stuff like that but he has the sensitivity and the tastes of a fourteen year old girl. I don't care who you are, you have to admit that's hilarious. Calvin was the favorite student of his high school but now he is just a washed up accountant upset with where his life has gone. Hart and Johnson bring some real comedy to their roles as well as true conviction. You can believe that these two are dealing with some real emotional problems. I never thought of either of them as good actors but they do a splendid job here. The stunts they pull also look so very realistic. They are very thrilling and pretty creative too. Now the movie isn't without problems-what movie is? The spy portion of the plot is pretty straight forward and shallow. It's obviously just an excuse to get these two together but is that really such a bad thing when what they are offering is so good? Central Intelligence is kind of like that movie Twins with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito. Two popular actors play as comic foils to one another as well as provide great drama with some cool stunts thrown in. What more could you want?

69 out of 91 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

8/10

Great Chemistry between Johnson and Hart

Forget about the formulaic spies plot and its flaws, the film does not look silly for the wise decision of making it into a comedy and it sparks thanks to the strong rapport between Johnson and Hart. The thriller may seems to be dumb and lack of inventiveness in all the right ways but it is also a bit smarter than what audiences could have expected. The hilarious but not nonsense actions, sweet high- school buddies friendships, comedy about bullies and inspiration to transform a better oneself however are all blended well into this lack-of-originality thriller; though insufficient to generate big humors, it is still able to keep your smile till the end. The film centralises on the delightful chemistry between the two actors, both Hart and Johnson deliver a cheerful bromantic, especially the latter who takes his character and silliness seriously other than just knowing to flex muscles. It might lack in depth to explain about the quest of the mission but it is overall entertaining due to the commitment of the cast to bring us laughter.

100 out of 145 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

7/10

He's got a banana

Warning: Spoilers

Calvin Joyner ( Kevin Hart) had it all at Central High School...athletic, drama club, and he married Maggie (Danielle Nicolet). Life as an accountant has been anti-climatic for him. He is contacted by Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson) who was the bullied fat kid in school, one that Calvin, a "snack sized Denzel" helped during his worst moment.

The film has action and humor. It is primarily a comedy. Hart and Johnson create good on screen chemistry. Could watch on tween family night.

Guide: No sex. 1 F-word. Male butt nudity.

8 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

7/10

The polarizing duo might not have the best chemistry, but each has their own quirky way to entertain

It's quite possible that they cast Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson just to make "Little Hart, Big Johnson" pun. As far as buddy cop goes, this contrasting nature can provide some chuckles, however the espionage them might not hit all the marks. Still, there are significant amount of scenes where laughter is secured by sheer timely body language and jokes alone.

Dwayne Johnson plays as Bob, a CIA agent who tries to reach out to his old friend. This escalates into a chase for secret files and national security. The way Bob is presented relies heavily on juvenile gag and demeanor despite his imposing physique, this is fun at first but it hampers the credibility as an agent. The movie wants to add some bullying subplot which is commendable, although it doesn't have the depth to accommodate it.

Kevin Hart is excellent in creating reactions and gestures. He's surprisingly identifiable with high school nostalgia and occasional self-doubt. Many of the good moments come from his outbursts and babbling. The script has a few nifty pop references and sometimes even witty gags, so the comedy is not just slapstick throughout and undermines the "intelligence" in the title.

There are serious undertones of adult life or self-acceptance even though they are not fully fleshed out. Action is pretty light, it's passable without being too demanding. The most important thing is it's enjoyable. Sure, there are a few awkward moments, yet they make the best out of it to present a light humorous spectacle, a better buddy cop gimmick than expected.

45 out of 72 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

5/10

Great Poster. So-so film.

"Saving the World Takes a Little Hart and a Big Johnson". I doubt I have ever passed a film poster before and dissolved into paroxysms of mirth, so this film at least wins one award with me.

The story is pretty inconsequential, and used as a framework to build set pieces around. Kevin Hart ("Ride Along") plays Calvin Joyner – the life and soul of his high school and the guy voted 'Most likely to succeed'. He's also a nice guy, sensitively covering the modesty of overweight loser Robbie Wheirdicht (a good Dwayne Johnson lookalike actually played by internet wedding-dance sensation Sione Kelepi) after he's been ridiculed by bullies in front of the whole school.

But sometimes life doesn't go to plan and twenty year's later Calvin may have married his high school sweetheart Maggie (Danielle Nicolet) but has ended up in a low-level forensic accountancy job and not where he wants to be.

Robbie on the other hand has transformed his life and physique to become Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson), a man with a 'certain set of skills' and, as it turns out, a rogue CIA operative. Bob is on the trail of financial codes to help identify the location of the traitorous 'Black Badger' who killed his long-term partner Stanton (Aaron Paul). But the Black Badger could be anyone, and the CIA lead (Amy Ryan) suspects it might actually be Stone. With the stakes rising the inept Joyner needs to make a decision on who to trust and who to fear.

The comedy lead Kevin Hart previously impressed with "Get Hard" and raises a few laughs in this one, notably with his attempt at his signature flip twenty years later than he should have attempted it! Johnson's character is written to be just plain weird and with Johnson's limited acting range (think Arnie in "Jingle All The Way") it's a performance that is on the outlandish side of bizarre. Together the duo make for a likable pair but this is a very lightweight comedy and is generally a smile-along rather than a laugh-along. It is also uneven in tone, occasionally straying into highly un-comedic territory: a throat- ripping out scene anyone?

The director is Rawson Marshall Thurber who previously directed the better comedy "Dodgeball" and the far worse "We're the Millers". So that should set your expectations.

A fairly ho-hum comedy which might entertain you on a long plane flight but is not worth forking out much cash to rent.

(Please visit http://bob-the-movie-man.com for the graphical version of this review. Thanks.)

23 out of 34 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

5/10

Entertaining - but that's it

Warning: Spoilers

Well, here's the deal – we have the film beginning on the last day of high school where Calvin Joyner is voted to the student most likely to succeed, while Bob Stone (not his real name) is in the shower dancing. Stone is then grabbed by some bullies, naked, and thrown into the middle of the gym, where all the school is watching. Everybody, but Joyner, is laughing at Stone, however Joyner gives Stone his jacket, and that is basically the last anybody hears of him.

Twenty years later Joyner married his highschool sweetheart and is working in a dead end job at an accounting firm with an inflatable gorilla out the front. The idea of him succeeding seems to have fallen flat on its face, particularly when he found himself in the real world. However he receives an anonymous friend request on Facebook and discovers that it is his old friend from school, however he has changed – a lot. Instead of the fat kid he remembered he is now and incredibly muscly, yet still very nice, Dwayne Johnson. Stone is actually needing some assistance, which Joyner gives him, and it soon becomes apparent that Stone is a rouge CIA agent, and Joyner is now caught up in a mission to save the United States, which includes a huge machine gun fight in his office.

So, that is basically the movie – it's funny in parts, but the comedy pretty quickly wears off to become not so much your typical spy action movie, but rather a somewhat unbelievable spy action movie. When I left the cinema I thought to myself – yes, this was a good film, however as I thought about it (though not too much, because there is nothing all that much to think about) I realised that there really wasn't anything all that special about it. While Johnson's character wasn't bad, or irritating, he just seemed to be a little too nice, to the point that I didn't feel that there was all that much depth to the character. Sure, there were some amusing scenes, but it wasn't a side splitting funny type of movie.

I guess it is basically one of those 'life didn't quite turn out as we expected' type of movies – the ones where at the end of highschool it seems as if the world is your oyster, but twenty years down the track all the potential that was there when we were young seems to not only have gone, but has been wasted. In fact Joyner doesn't even want to attend his reunion (I know what it is like – I didn't, despite the fact that Facebook as allowed me to connect with my old school friends) because he feels that the expectation that was there were he was left has been wasted. Mind you, it is also one of those 'wouldn't it be good' type of movies – the ones that suggest that it would be good if something were to just suddenly happen to take the monotony out of life.

Even though it was enjoyable, and I would hardly call it boring, it seems to suffer from the malaise that many of the Hollywood movies seem to be suffering from these days – lack of depth. Oh, and it is also predictable as well – I worked out that there was a purpose for the giant inflatable gorilla almost as soon as I saw it.

15 out of 23 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

8/10

A Spy Movie That's Really Funny, Along The Way

Warning: Spoilers

In a way, this movie is nearly a 10, because it is hard to imagine it being any funnier. When watching it the stuff between Johnson and Hart is so good that I have to hope they are going to do another movie with a script like this one. This movie is more fun than any film I have seen in a long time.

Too often when WWF Wrestler's get into acting, their egos are so large, they can't transfer it into acting or comedy. Dwayne Johnson (aka. The Rock) does that transfer here. He shows he can act and do comedy with great skill at both and does not let anything get in his way. Kevin Hart does not hurt as the two of them with a full foot difference in height really seem to have this down. Their timing and pace are so good that I could not help laughing more than I have at a movie in a long time.

It is almost hard at times to take the CIA spy plot seriously, but then every so often you get to wondering who are really the good guys and who are really the bad guys. The script is good enough to keep you wondering for most of the film. Centering around a 20 year high school reunion the plot works well.

This one is worth checking out because it really lightens the mood and the supporting cast really backs it up too. Both Amy Ryan and Danielle Nicolet stand tall here despite being shorter than Kevin Hart. The Golden Jet and Bob Stone make this film funny, and the support and Thurber's Direction pace here are just about perfect. The running time of less than 2 hours is perfect and the inclusion of great pieces of the gag reel at the beginning of the credits made me leave the theater with a big smile.

8 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

3/10

Missed opportunities

Warning: Spoilers

Saw this last night on the big screen, not expecting much but hoping to be entertained. Sadly that didn't happen. Why? I has to have been the movie's writing and the way it was directed. It just never got started, and while the actors' delivery in the various scenes had to have been what the director wanted, it just never rang true. I'll leave off any explanation of the plot and story line, others have done a great job at that. I'll just stick to what I feel are the failings of the directing and writing.

The movie starts out well enough, we get the transformation of the formerly bullied fatty 'Rob Wierdich' into the now huge and muscular Rob Stone and how this man now re-enters the life of co-protagonist Calvin Joyner, a man whose great high school promise has in his own estimation fizzled. Stone is over-the-top enthusiastic and presumptive while Joyner plays the baffled and grudgingly accommodating nebbish. But it is carried on too long, straining for the laugh. Hart as Joyner goes from normal speaking voice to Chris Rock style falsetto screeching with apparently little provocation and Dwaine Johnson's Rob Stone plays his overplayed huge smile and light hearted repartee gag so often that it becomes tiresome and distracting.

The mishandled opportunities in the movie get worse as it goes on. Late in the movie comes the anticipated high school reunion. The movie's makers seem to have had no idea how to tastefully or effectively tie it all up and make a satisfying conclusion to the story. The principal bully who has harassed and humiliated Stone throughout the movie could have been dealt his come-uppance in some turnabout humiliation of his own, and I was expecting and even looking forward to this. Instead the writers blew this chance and had Stone simply haul off and knock the far smaller man unconscious with a single blow to the head, in front of the whole crowd. Nice. Way to transform your hero.

More disturbing by far is the next scene in which Stone takes the stage and while accepting an honor, begins to take off clothing. No... he's not going to... but yes. Not only do the writers have Stone strip off his shirt to show off his muscles in a display of vanity, they have him strip completely naked, to the ooo's and ah's of the assembled crowd, and then walk around like a regular dance attendee. What was the purpose of the full nudity? Are we supposed to believe that Stone has altered his genitalia to the better as well as his muscles? (while it isn't shown of course, the implication that Stone is totally nude is clear when Stone tries to hug Joyner and the latter says, "Not now with your junk hanging out!"

I'm not offended at the scene, but I really have to wonder what motivated the writers to think they were advancing the story arc with this uncomfortable and implausible gag. What were they thinking? It's just weird.

Lots of action scenes, cool stunts, but the story was dealt a poor telling.

73 out of 117 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

8/10

Warner Bros. warns American Youth that it really does NOT get better . . .

Warning: Spoilers

. . . after high school--it simply gets a lot worse! That is the main message of CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE: No matter how many school counselors make big paychecks prattling pleasant platitudes that Real Life's going to be all Rainbows and Unicorns post-High School, kids need to know that these Feel-Gooders are only in it for the money, Warner warns. Though the National Teen Suicide Hotline made Warner tack on some gratuitous Happy Ending Plot Points, the CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE offered here is that the Fat Lady has finished singing by the time she pops you out. On the brighter side, Kevin Hart leads a trio of sure 2017 Oscar Winners among the CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE key urban cast members. Only the lack of a lead minority actress will prevent the Citizens of Color in this flick from duplicating IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT by sweeping ALL of the acting statuettes. But now that most if not all of last year's despicable Oscar Voters have been replaced by Millennial Minority People, the only thing that can prevent

Oscarsoblack is a Trump Presidency!

5 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

10/10

It All Depends On What You Like

Warning: Spoilers

As with so many other films like this, I went in expecting to like it, but also prepared myself for the fact that it may be disappointing, as The Rock and Kevin Hart both often put out hit-or-miss films, but this one greatly surpassed my expectations, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

But I have to say, I was surprised at how much I liked this, especially since I ended up liking it more than I expected or wanted to going in. This really just looked like another raunchy, foul-mouthed, shoot-em-up movie that the 2010s so consistently produce, and while this film is no exception, it does all of the aforementioned elements with style. It really is just another fun, buddy action comedy that really soars because of the chemistry and gravitas brought by the two main stars.

The story follows Kevin Hart as a high school jock/heartthrob who grows up to become a boring accountant who married his high school sweetheart. Dwayne Johnson was an overweight, geeky high school student who had one, embarrassing encounter with Hart's character, and he eventually reaches out and contacts Hart's character through Facebook years later. The two meet up at a bar, and they hit it off, but both realize how different the other is. It turns out that Johnson's character is a rogue CIA agent who was framed, and now he's running from his own people to stop the and guys and prove his innocence, but he needs Hart's accounting expertise to pull off his plan. What follows is a string of well-directed and edited action set pieces, along with often uproariously funny comedic moments, with some character development in between.

This is a certain kind of movie for certain kinds of people, and not everyone will like it...not everyone has to. It really comes down to wether or not you like at least one of the two main actors, and wether or not you're ok with Hart's loud, at times obnoxious motormouth character who is unprepared for the intense, fast-paced action-packed scenarios that Dwayne Johnson's intense, likable character throws him into. If you're not a fan of loud, sometimes annoying, sometimes slapstick comedy, or over-the-top, fast-paced and occasionally brutal action sequences, then this movie isn't for you.

There's a surprising amount of slick action in this film, although I shouldn't have been surprised since The Rock's in it. Several memorable scenes include the bar fight scene, office shootout/fight, garage fight scene, compound shootout scene, parking garage shootout, and final fight. I honestly expected less, but this film gave me so much more, and as an action fan, I was quite pleased. I often find that low expectations make for better enjoyment.

About the comedy, this is actually a hilarious movie. I laughed out loud many times, and still do, when I rewatch certain scenes (they were that entertaining). The bar and airport scenes in particular still make me crack up, and I find that not many comedies manage to achieve consistently funny jokes throughout, let alone jokes that make you laugh just as hard upon rewatching them. Even if you're not a huge fan of Kevin Hart screaming and talking really fast, the Rock is funny and charismatic enough to make it watchable.

This is the first Kevin Hart movie that I've seen, and I've only seen The Rock in one or two other films where he wasn't a main character, but if both of them are making movies like this, I would like to see more of them then.

12 out of 17 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

7/10

The Little Hart and Big Johnson Surprise

Now I will state from the start that Kevin Hart as a comedian has never appealed to me and so therefore that also translates into his films having never been intrigued enough to go see one of his (some of the critical receptions bare this out) but this is obviously where that trend ends for me.

In this 'mismatched' buddy action comedy both Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson seem to have stumbled upon some fabulous comedic chemistry that I most certainly didn't see coming.

Having stated my indifference earlier to Kevin Hart I am at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to Dwayne Johnson, a man, an actor who probably shouldn't be as successful as he is...yet I can't resist his charms, there is just something inherently likable about the man as an on screen presence and as an actor in general and that is no different here.

Quick plot synopsis now, flashback to high school, Hart is Mr. Popular, Johnson is the school joke, flash-forward twenty years to the present day where after a social media inspired meetup if would appear maybe that now the two have switched places in life (quite a common story arc) and what may also be certainly more concerning for Hart is the fact that Johnson may appear to be a spy on the run, so ensues a parade of nifty chase sequences some rather inspired and choreographed escape fighting scenes interspersed of course with Hart chipping in with comedic observations of their currently absurd predicament. There is in particular a scene where Johnson has replaced the role of a therapist who is about to give marriage counsel to Hart and his wife and it is extremely funny.

This should not of entertained me as much as it did and trust me I am as surprised as anyone that it got many laughs out of me, it certainly does remind me in parts to 21 Jump Street, what I mean by that is it being a nice comedic surprise of a film that has the laughs but actually does in part also have a heart in place, or as the brilliant marketing department said on the films tagline and posters 'It takes a little Hart and a big Johnson' just superb.

I was a little concerned after the films opening which I mentioned earlier is a flashback to high school where we see the rather unsubtle face of Johnson transposed onto the head and body of a rather overweight kid but the film got out of that just pure weird territory quicker than expected, yes not every joke hits the mark but the success to failure rate is amply way on the positive side of things and the pace and action is brisk enough that it never overstays its welcome which is very surprising given the near two hour feature length running time.

But I suppose the main question that does have to be asked though is 'who is the Black Badger' maybe I'm the Black Badger, as Thomas Kretschmann brilliantly puts it.

So it's not particularly going to change the comedic landscape out there but it more than succeeds in keeping you very entertained throughout mainly thanks to the great comedic chemistry that Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson bring to the party.

32 out of 48 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

8/10

Great Action, Great Comedy, Great Story

Warning: Spoilers

I saw "Central Intelligence", starring Dwayne Johnson-the Fast & Furious movies, Doom; Kevin Hart-the Ride Along movies, Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire_tv; Danielle Nicolet-Third Rock From the Sun_tv, Loaded Weapon 1 and Amy Ryan-Bridge of Spies, The Wire_tv.

This is an action comedy, containing the very first collaboration of Dwayne-the Rock-Johnson and Kevin Hart. And I hope it is not the last, because they make a great team. The movie starts 20 years in the past, when Dwayne and Kevin are in high school. Dwayne is an over weight dorky kid and Kevin is Mr. Popular. An embarrassing prank is pulled on Dwayne- by bullies-and Kevin comes to his aide. 20 years later, Kevin is an ordinary accountant, married to his high school sweetheart, Danielle. His 20 year high school reunion is coming up and he gets a Facebook invite from Dwayne to have a drink and catch up on old times. Dwayne tells Kevin that he has never forgotten his generosity back in high school and that he is the only friend he has ever had. Dwayne then tells Kevin that he needs his accounting skills to help him in his job, as an agent for the C.I.A. Not long after this, Amy shows up, saying that Dwayne used to work for the C.I.A. but went rouge, after killing his own partner and is now trying to sell classified government secrets to terrorists. That is one of the perks in this movie, Dwayne acts kind of goofy at times and it is hard to tell if Dwayne is really a good guy or a bad guy, that is, until the very end. There are several cameo roles scattered throughout the movie and it is better if you see them, as they pop up. Of course, if you really want to know some of them, just let me know and I will spill the beans. Good action, good comedy, good story. What more do you need in a non-sequel movie? Oh yeah, as the end credits start, there are some funny bloopers and out takes shown. It's rated "PG-13" for crude and suggestive humor, nudity, action violence and language and has a running time of 1 hour & 47 minutes. I really enjoyed this one and would buy it on Blu-Ray.

18 out of 32 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

7/10

You won't find a more dynamic pair than Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart this summer, and thanks to their chemistry, this odd-couple buddy action comedy genuinely pops

Warning: Spoilers

As convenient as it may be to pigeonhole 'Central Intelligence' into the label of a buddy cop movie, the always-amusing, often-hilarious and surprisingly-affecting action comedy really is much more. For starters, Kevin Hart's Calvin Joyner isn't a cop at all; in fact, he's a put- upon mild-mannered accountant who is disillusioned with his job and where he is at in life, despite being married to his high-school sweetheart (Danielle Nicolet). For another, Calvin and Dwayne Johnson's Bob Stone can't quite be called buddies, especially since they have been out of touch with each other for the past twenty years and are only reconnecting upon Bob's initiation on the eve of their high school homecoming reunion party.

Oh yes, the catch here is that while Calvin used to be the high- school superstar who excelled at everything from athletics to academics to drama and was thus dubbed 'The Golden Jet', Bob – who used to go by the name Robbie Weirdicht – was the overweight kid who had to contend with being dragged out of the locker-room shower by a bunch of sneering bullies and thrown naked in the middle of a school assembly. And yet, in his moment of humiliation, Calvin's act of kindness in offering his 'Golden Jet' jacket to cover Bob's privates has made him Bob's hero, so much so that Bob worships Calvin as no less than his idol. But it isn't just for old times' sake that Bob is now reaching out to Calvin – indeed, after watching 'Fat Robbie'- turned-He-Man take out four bullies in front of his eyes, Calvin agrees to Bob's seemingly innocuous favour of accounting help with his overseas payroll.

And so begins a series of CIA hijinks, as Bob reveals himself to be a CIA agent after someone known as the 'Black Badger' who has stolen the US satellite encryption keys and intends to sell them to the highest bidder. Though Calvin wants no part in the high-stakes operation, he finds that he is already unwittingly involved when Bob's superior Pamela (Amy Ryan) turns up at his doorstep and informs him that Bob is a rogue agent who happens to be the very Badger himself. Oh, there's also the question of whether Bob's former partner (Aaron Paul in an extended cameo) was killed by the Badger as Bob claims or was in fact killed by Bob himself as Pamela claims. As earnest as Bob may appear, Calvin's struggle as he grazes past one life-threatening setpiece after another is whether to trust Bob in the first place.

From an extended shootout at Calvin's office that ends with Bob and Calvin crashing through the eleventh-storey window onto a giant gorilla inflatable below, to a CIA safe house where Calvin springs Bob from custody, to an underground parking garage where Bob comes face to face with his nemesis, director Rawson Marshall Thurber stages the action with surprising élan, emphasizing Johnson's swift and lethal moves as well as Hart's barely controlled hysteria at every turn. Yet because Johnson and Hart have performed similar shtick in previous roles, the real fun is in watching the two actors play against each other in quieter and more intimate scenes, such as a couples' therapy session between Calvin and his wife which Bob crashes by pretending to be their therapist.

It is in scenes such as this that the sheer chemistry between Johnson and Hart shines through. Thurber, who co-wrote the script with Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen, plays against his audience's expectation by letting the usually motor-mouthed Hart play the straight man and Johnson be the unhinged man-child responsible for the verbal and physical shenanigans. Thanks to Johnson and Hart's elevated performances, the 'role reversal' works beautifully and makes for reason alone to watch this instead of say the next 'Ride Along' sequel. The stronger than usual character work is yet further proof that this film is a notch above many others of its ilk, demonstrated in the insecurities that Bob and Calvin each have to deal with individually along the way.

Even though the opening scene of Bob's teenage appearance in the form of Johnson's face fattened by CG trickery suggests that it may end up pandering to the lowest-denominator, 'Central Intelligence' ultimately proves unexpectedly sensitive to the plight of those bullied in high school in its concluding scene, where Bob finally overcomes his personal demons to take the stage in front of his schoolmates twenty years after being painfully humiliated. Besides a cameo by Melissa McCarthy as Bob's high-school crush, it is as sweet a parting shot as any, underscoring yet again what an earnestly endearing and humorous joyride this odd-couple buddy movie has been. Most of all, Johnson and Hart are like 'yin' and 'yang', and together they prove that a little Hart and a big Johnson goes a long, long way.

26 out of 47 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

4/10

Ride Along 3: A little Hart and a big Johnson

Warning: Spoilers

From the guy behind Dodgeball: a true underdog story and We're the Millers comes another Buddy Cop/Spy comedy starring Kevin Hart. Central Intelligence marks the second time this year that we have seen Kevin Hart in a movie where he forms an unlikely friendship with his nicknamed co-star (Ice Cube or The Rock) while he also shoots, fights and back flips his way to save the day.

As opposed to Ride Along, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays Bob Stone in a subverted role than one might expect of the peoples champ. The Rock does a pretty good job as the Optomistically enthusiastic, unicorn loving CIA agent, bringing the action star to the screen as well as a more softer and comical side of the Brahma Bull. The film also features entertaining performances/ cameos from several actors; such as Aaron Paul (Who can't stop himself from calling someone a Bitch), Jason Bateman (Who plays a more comical version of his character from The Gift), Amy Ryan and even Melissa McCarthy. As for Kevin Hart, Kevin Hart is Kevin Hart... Enough said.

The film itself is formulaic, two polar opposites bond over a case they work together... The formula of every buddy cop movie out there. At the close the Rock gives a speech bout being who you are and standing up t bullies, if the film could have maybe delivered that message better or at all then we could be looking at a better film here. The film just felt a bit bland story line wise.

My biggest issue with this film is that it feels censored. I can't help but feel that with 2 major studios backing the film that there must be some major studio interference taking place. There are many scenes that I felt didn't work because of cuts and edits to create a 12A film in the hope to widen the films audience. This is a film that definitely needed a certificate boost to be more entertaining, the humour needed to be ruder for Kevin Hart to work and the action needed more blood and detail to grip an audience. The film just felt tame and too safe and so not particularly entertaining, plus the ending was cheesy as hell God Damn.

Overall Central Intelligence is a film that I feel was ruined by studio interference. The high point is definitely the Rock (but when is he not?) as he plays a different character to what you would expect pretty well. The story is unoriginal and the humour works on occasion but ultimately the film falls flat. What this film needs is a 15 rated Directors cut which I pray Rawson Marshall Thurber releases. The film isn't good but on the bright side it doesn't look like it has completely hit Rock Bottom.

31 out of 52 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

10/10

Very cool film!

Warning: Spoilers

I had a great time at the cinema (back in 2016). It's a very fun, action-comedy movie with a heartwarming core thanks to the very sweet character Johnson is playing :)

There are 2 small details I didn't like. 1) With Johnson's character being actually innocent, the guilty smile & look he gave to Hart's character behind his back close to the end of the movie was out of character. And so the sole purpose of that smile was to trick the audience into still doubting about his innocence. I understand they wanted to keep the audience guessing until the big revelation at the end, but that was not the correct way. And 2) the real flashback scene between Johnson's and Aaron Paul's character during the revelation at the end felt cheap/weak, because Paul's actions were over-comical and thus unrealistic towards Johnson's character. They could have fixed that easily.

Overall though, I can easily see beyond these details and as I said, I like the movie a lot and I like a lot that Johnson's character is all about stoping bullies!

11 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

7/10

Watch this while it's still playing.(Spoiler-free)

Here comes another buddy cop film,this time with Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in the lead roles.I thought this movie would fail miserably.I thought it was ripping off Ride Along(which is not a good film to rip off) but it surprisingly stands on its own and makes for a fun time at the movies.Bob Stone asks his old classmate,Calvin Joyner to help him with his computer skills.I don't really like Kevin Hart all that much,because he plays the same character in every film and even though he does have acting skills,he goes OTT in every performance.But his character is a bit more serious in this one and Dwayne Johnson is awesome as ever in his role.The main strength of this movie is the chemistry between the 2 leads.They are so much fun to watch.One is a fearless agent and the other a normal guy who can't even hold a gun.There are some nice jokes and gags as well.

On the downside,the film falters sometimes in the plot section.Yet another OTT performance by Kevin Hart(as mentioned above) I wish the action scenes had a bit more lustre in them.But do not be bothered by that because this is the action junkie in me speaking,and you may like this movie more than I did.

This movie isn't completely flawless,nor is it totally groundbreaking in the buddy cop genre.But it is still worth watching in the theatre,thanks to the chemistry between the 2 leads and a lot of laughs.

52 out of 88 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

8/10

Action/Comedy Buddy Cop Movie (Minor Spoiler only)

Warning: Spoilers

I just saw a sneak preview of Central Intelligence, and I really haven't had such laughs for a long time. Kevin Hart plays Calvin "Golden Jet" Joyner who peaked in high school, and now is an accountant who can't seem to win. Enter the Rock (Dwayne Johnson) as Bob Stone aka Robbie Weirdicht who acts like a man-child with hero worship for Calvin. They were never really friends, but Calvin was the only one who didn't laugh when Robbie Weirdicht was humiliated in front of the whole senior class, and actually helped him out.

Kevin Hart does a great job through the first half of the movie playing the straight man while the Rock hams things up. While the Rock's role is over-the-top, he plays it with such sincerity, it's absolutely a riot to watch. I usually don't like when a character's embarrassing behavior is the point of the comedy, but in this case it really works well.

The plot twist arrives relatively early on (minor spoiler), when the CIA shows up and tells Calvin that "Bob Stone" is a rogue operative. For the rest of the movie Calvin is freaking out because he is caught between the CIA and his old high school acquaintance. Calvin has to figure out who to believe, as both sides tell the same story, with slight critical differences.

Amy Ryan does a great job as the cold CIA operative, Agent Pamela Harris, trying to hunt done Bob Stone. She has the sharp dead-pan act down, which lets Kevin Hart play his usual loud squirming act.

There are a number of action scenes, but frankly they are over way too quickly. Sure it makes "Bob Stone" look super impressive in how quickly he can dispatch adversaries, but I prefer actually being able to see the action, and appreciate the skills involved.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie, and judging from the laughter and smiles on the preview audience leaving the theater, I wasn't the only one.

17 out of 29 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

3/10

A movie like you've seen 10'000 before

After a few minutes of a promising start, the movie falls right into the "rigmarole" cliché.

Kevin Hart does nothing but gesticulate, obviously desperate for some funny lines, that he never gets to say. So, instead, he tries and fills in the blanks, however it sounds poor and empty.

It reminds me of some 90's movies with Eddie Murphy.

Maybe the writers could have helped at some point.

Dwayne Johnson is quite OK, some jokes somehow work, but it's not enough to carry the movie.

I would have loved to have loved it...

21 out of 36 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

7/10

A Delightful Surprise!

Central Intelligence stars Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart and is about them teaming up to save the world. I'd like to say that I had zero expectations going into this but was still looking forward to it. This movie is HILARIOUS! The Rock and Kevin Hart are fantastic together and have some of the funniest jokes I've heard all year. Watching them both on screen is the best part of this movie and it was extremely funny.

The story follows both of them having reunited 20 years after high school in order to save the world. The main plot is the weakest part of this movie since there's not much emphasis put on it. I will say that there are some pretty sweet cameos in here that are awesome. The action is mostly good even though it got a bit shaky in some places.

Overall, Central Intelligence is a pleasant surprise this summer. This movie is honestly battling Deadpool for funniest movie of the year; I can't believe I just said that. This is definitely one of the better buddy-cop action comedies we've gotten in the past few years.

Central Intelligence gets a B.

Check out my Youtube channel where I review movies as well!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOGWUFunDhIwKVcL7eNMWiQ

19 out of 31 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

5/10

A minimally watchable product

Warning: Spoilers

It is not really funny, basically there is no one good laugh in the whole movie. But, there are many somewhat funny situations/lines, like when Rock and his little partner jump out the window onto a big balloon-monkey.

It is not really fun, but, it is engaging enough to not be boring or just plain bad. The Rock kicks some but, but in a mostly-believable way and not too much.

The story is not really good, but, it doesn't have serious flaws, for a comedy, that is. It is mostly consistent, has a good progress and doesn't just implode near the end, like a lot of modern movies (comedies included).

Acting is not really good, it's mostly over-acting, but, both the Rock and his little partner don't "over do over-acting", so to speak. Again, it's a comedy, over-acting is somewhat expected.

So there are a lot of better movies, but, this one satisfies the minimum quality bar. It's a good way to take a rest if you're not sleepy.

15 out of 28 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

4/10

Lacks Intelligence

One of the most appealing things about Kevin Hart has to be his marketing team. That's not to say he isn't a great comedian; his stand up is currently second to none. Yet, for his new movie, Central Intelligence, he has taken to Facebook and Twitter with his co-star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and presented some outright hilarious and completely irrelevant videos, such as; Hart and Johnson conducting a one-on-one interview while doing an impression of each other. It's ludicrous but their belly laughing is very contagious. It only seems a disappointment how they don't quite manage to portray the same on screen chemistry for the movie.

Hart plays Calvin Joyner, an accountant and one time high school golden boy who regrets that he never lived up to his potential. He also happened to be the only kid in school who showed any compassion toward heavily overweight, nerd Robbie Weirdicht, played by an impressively CG rendered Johnson. Twenty years on and Robbie returns to reconnect with Calvin through Facebook with a new name and a mountainous physique. What Calvin didn't account for was that behind Bob's overzealous persona lies the cunning mind of a super spy as he is dragged into a dangerous game of espionage with the CIA.

One thing is for sure, Johnson does not have any natural comedic ability and this movie is certainly evident of that. Give the guy a gun and a cheesy one-liner and he's immediately likable but here, his attempts appear forced and down right awkward to watch. However, his performance reflects the considerably under-cooked script in which a lot of the material relies on the improv talents of their key actors and, to overcompensate, Hart gives it everything he's got while ultimately reducing his part to a series of shrill attacks on his bumbling costar. Think Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in Rush Hour. Although, in that respect, Johnson isn't even given the decency of any respectable choreography to show off his more applicable talents.

For a movie primarily focused on the relationship between this oddball, buddy-up, action comedy, any actual plot becomes insignificant; something about account numbers and selling secrets, basic CIA stuff. Although, it's a shame as the two actors are individually very capable of being entertaining in the right roles. This little and large team-up had a lot of potential but the whole thing just comes across as hopelessly underdeveloped. In saying that, the tag-line is nothing short of genius, 'Saving the world takes a little HART and a big JOHNSON'. Shame I can't say the same for the movie.

For more news, reviews and trailers visit whatsiesays-online.com

21 out of 35 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

8/10

Finally a movie with Kevin Hart that I enjoyed with all of my heart!

I was invited to an early screening of this movie in Norway, brought friends and did not have high hopes for this movie (since I've already sat through many Hartflicks, without laughing once).

But this one is a bit different! Without spoiling to much, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson brings a lot to this, and is already known as Dwayne "The Franchise Viagra" Johnson, so this is going to be big!

The bromance between the characters is much more believable than Harts movies with Ice Cube, Josh Gad or Will Ferrell. And Dwayne Johnson freshens up our memories of his performance in the 2005 comedy "Be Cool".

Is there a discount for the CIA exam?

The IIA is offering members a 20% discount from May 1-31, 2023 on new application and exam registration fees* for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) designations. To redeem this offer,* simply log into CCMS and apply for the CIA or CRMA program.