Identity Thief (2013)

Mild-mannered businessman Sandy Patterson travels from Denver to Miami to confront the deceptively harmless-looking woman who has been living it up after stealing Sandy's identity.

Director:

Seth Gordon

Writers:

Craig Mazin (screenplay), Jerry Eeten (story),

Stars:

Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Amanda Peet

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Bateman	...	Sandy Patterson
Melissa McCarthy	...	Diana
Jon Favreau	...	Harold Cornish
Amanda Peet	...	Trish Patterson
T.I.	...	Julian
Genesis Rodriguez	...	Marisol
Morris Chestnut	...	Detective Reilly
John Cho	...	Daniel Casey
Robert Patrick	...	Skiptracer
Eric Stonestreet	...	Big Chuck
Jonathan Banks	...	Paul
Ryan Gaul	...	Bartender
Steve Mallory	...	Party Guy
Tyler Nilson	...	Party Guy
Steve Little	...	Party Guy's Buddy

Storyline

Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) gets a nice call confirming his name and other identifying information. The next thing he knows, a spa in Florida is reminding him of his appointment, and his credit cards are maxed out. With his identity stolen, Sandy leaves his wife, kids and job to literally bring the thief to justice in Colorado. But keeping tabs on the other Sandy (Melissa McCarthy) and run-ins with bounty hunters, is harder than he was expecting, and ultimately the cross-country trip is going to find both Sandys learning life tips from one another.

---

Plot Keywords:

hit in the head with a guitar | profanity | stolen identity | masturbation | critically bashed | 

---

Taglines:

She's having the time of his life

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Brazil] Universal [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

ID Theft

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$34,551,025 (USA) (8 February 2013)

Gross:

$134,455,175 (USA) (31 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aggregate Films, DumbDumb, Stuber Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min 121 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After Sandy and Diane purchase the $200 car, the scene showing their arrival to St. Louis as they cross a bridge is actually downtown Chattanooga. The tallest buildings and St. Louis Arch were digitally added.

---

Goofs

In the beauty salon, the Skiptracer threatened the hairdresser by saying the blue disinfectant was highly flammable. Barbacide is not flammable and comes in concentrate that is mixed with mostly water.

---

Quotes

Sandy Patterson: I said no jewelry.
Diana: Oh, were you serious?
Sandy Patterson: Yeah.
Diana: You've got to work on your tone.

---

Connections

Referenced in Chelsea Lately: Episode #7.8 (2013)

---

Soundtracks

"Bad Girls"
Written by Maya Arulpragasam, Marcella Araica, and Nate Hills
Performed by Maya Arulpragasam (as M.I.A.)
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Absolute disappointment!

Oh My God this movie was bad… So horrible… it hurt to sit through the first 20 minutes to get to the point. I felt I could review it due without ever bothering to digest the whole piece.

Despite the high profile comedic talent on hand, (Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy), the movie is so predictable that you can guess almost every nuance in it. If you wish to have your intelligence insulted for an hour and a half, this is for you.

The idiotic pranks the script calls for in the first half hour are so predictable, you laugh at the characters as they attempt to convince you they're going through the actual experience of identity theft. The lame attempt to profile a law enforcement agent's disdain for having to pursue an identity thief is akin to what the audience feels in their effort to connect with the characters. McCarty's character is so predictable we've seen it 100 times in Hollywood. Good person feels unloved, steals someone else's material goods to feel appreciated, throws party, is told no one cares and voila… they want to do right.

Hello, thanks for your complete lack of originality.

When you have comedic talent, you don't have to give them an 9th grader's high school play script to read. Give them some real material. McCarthy's character is so predictable you already hate her before you're invested into why she actually bother to steal Bateman's character's identity. By the time the movie reveals that McCarthy is a self-loathing, conceited, self deprecating individual who wants out of her predictable Drug/gang related troubles, you have no empathy for her character what-so-ever. In fact, you've already begun to detest her role as a leach.

Bateman is the only character worth investing in and perhaps that's because we still identify with him as one of the principles in Hancock, nearly the same character.

If I'm spending $8 to see a film it sure as heck isn't this one.

Give us a real script and less predictable jokes, less predictable outcomes and less predictable plot lines. Yes, the actors were funny, but everything else about this film suc&ed.

Save your $ go see something else.