Identity Thief (2013)

Mild mannered businessman Sandy Patterson travels from Denver to Florida 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, John Cho

1 win & 9 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 (as Tip 'T.I.' Harris)
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. 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.

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Plot Keywords:

credit card | odd couple | male female friendship | impersonator | rental car | 

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Taglines:

Is this the face of a sucker?

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content and language

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.

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Goofs

With photo evidence of Diana, in reality the police would never have sent the real Sandy Patterson on a citizen vigilante to hunt down the criminal.

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Quotes

Bartender: These aren't your friends. They like you because you're buying them drinks. People like you don't have friends.

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Crazy Credits

After the end credits, we hear two lines of dialog from earlier in the movie. The Skiptracer Robert Patrick saying "No, Sandy's a girl's name!" And Sandy Jason Bateman replying "It's not, it's unisex!"

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Alternate Versions

The studio thought that it was necessary to enrich the DVD/BD releases with a longer Unrated Cut that adds almost 9 minutes of material. The clear conclusion here is that the majority of those scenes feel like they were cut out of the theatrical version because they simply weren't needed or slowing down the events. Typical "unrated" material that could've been too risky for the "R"-rated theatrical version is nowhere in sight.

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Connections

Followed by Identity Thief 2

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Soundtracks

Ain't Messin 'Round
Written by Gary Clark Jr.
Performed by Gary Clark Jr.
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Identity Thief - Hearty Laughs!

Needa a good laugh? Identity Thief is a great bet. Silly? Yep! Hilarious? For sure.

Melissa McCarthy Dives into this role, head first. She's a scream. She plays Diana, who steals Jason Bateman's (Sandy Bigelow Patterson) identity. She gets loads of credit lines and goes to town and shops 'til she drops and then goes to town some more.

With no where to turn, Bateman heads to Florida to confront McCarthy head on to save his hide. One bad escapade begets another. From the Police to debt collectors, to drug deals and a few other shady sorts. All the while, McCarthy and Bateman spar toe to toe...

The ending is nice, but not too nice. Which is a good thing in the land of Hollywood where Cinderella stories come true.

One sobering point is the reality and devastation identity theft can wreak. All kidding aside, take steps to protect yourself. Cyberfraud abounds!

Need a laugh? See Identity Thief. Sit back and crack up.

Now I feel compelled to see McCarthy's performance in Bridesmaids. Chick flic or not, why not.

Arthur VanDam, author and film critic

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Brazil]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

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 USA:

$34,551,025, 10 February 2013

Gross USA:

$134,506,920

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$173,965,010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aggregate Films, Bluegrass Films, DumbDumb

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min 121 min (unrated) 120 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1