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IDENTITY THIEFMovie Reviews
Comedy about a Denver accounts rep desperate to stop the woman who has stolen his identity and is spending all his money in Miami. Cast:Melissa McCarthy, Jason Bateman, Genesis Rodriguez, Amanda Peet, Robert Patrick, Jon Favreau, John Cho, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Justin Wheelon, Eric Stonestreet, Jonathan Banks, Clark Duke, Morris Chestnut, Ben Falcone, T.I.Director:Seth GordonRelease Date:February 8, 2013DVD Release:June 4, 2013From:UniversalRating:RLength:2 hr 6 min
Identity Thief opened to weak reviews. • Barbara VanDenburgh wrote in the Arizona Republic, "Melissa McCarthy deserves better than a guitar to the face. She deserves better than getting hit by a car. She deserves better than puke gags and fat jokes." More Reviews Below...
Mary Pols, Time: POOR "...mean-spirited... It's sleazy storytelling... asks us to live vicariously through people assaulting each other before telling us to buck up and be cheerful at the end."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 839 words, 02/07/13
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: WEAK(cg) "...what the heck were they thinking?!... a ridiculous buddy flick that's five minutes of fun and 102 minutes of filler.... McCarthy's loud snoring passes for humor. Three times."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 148 words, 02/07/13
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "There are no pauses in this hectic madcappery, not for a minute.... Even during more tender moments, Melissa McCarthy's working her butt off."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 245 words, 02/08/13
Scott Bowles, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Preposterous, goofy and a clear ripoff of 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'... manages to make off with just enough laughs to work, thanks to the wondrous McCarthy..."(See all of Scott Bowles's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 02/08/13
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: POOR(cg) "...long, tedious... vulgar and showy and more than vaguely icky.... The conception and execution of McCarthy's scam artist is particularly, consistently offensive."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 02/06/13
S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media: WEAK(cg) "Bateman and McCarthy have an authenticity and likeability that save this comedy from true ruin.... The problem lies in the script.... Age 16."(See all of S. Jhoanna Robledo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 02/05/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...it is entirely possible to ignore the worst parts of this movie, slide over the half-baked jokes and just wait for Ms. McCarthy and Mr. Bateman to do their things."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 02/08/13
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...relies on easy scenarios that culminate in pat clichés or unfunny jokes... What success the movie finds is due to the leads' efforts, which are impressively strenuous."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 327 words, 02/08/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a sprawling mess... but the heart of this film is on the road with Bateman and McCarthy. If not for their brilliance, the movie would be running on empty."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 742 words, 02/08/13
Kyle Smith, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Funny and promising as the first act is, the entire second act is pretty awful, as the script chucks in one tiresome, unlikely gag after another."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 746 words, 02/08/13
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "Debilitatingly witless... strands Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman on the shoulder of its own road-trip premise, an artificial construct reminiscent of 'Due Date.' "(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 573 words, 02/08/13
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The jokes sometimes feel mean -- eewww, heavy people having sex! -- but McCarthy somehow always retains her dignity... she gives the movie a winning personality."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 293 words, 02/08/13
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: FAIR "...funny enough, but it needed to be darker, raunchier, and crazier to live up to the promise.... You'll laugh, you might also cry at how much more you could have laughed."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 02/08/13
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...a cheap copy of much better comedies. Here's hoping someone finds a much better vehicle for these terrifically talented actors."(See all of Richard Roeper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 599 words, 02/08/13
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: WEAK(cg) "Is it a zany Three Stooges-inspired road-trip smack-fest or a sentimental exploration of a lonely woman's spiral into larcenous-fuelled shopping addiction?"(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 02/08/13
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "...not so much a major drag as a minor irritant... A desultory collection of slapstick gags, buddy-movie cliches, chase-sequence bombast and wan topical humor..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 02/08/13
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's episodic road-movie stuff... if nothing else, the movie confirms McCarthy's identity in the Hollywood hierarchy: She's a big, ballsy star."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 466 words, 02/08/13
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "...crass.... At best it's perversely interesting as a major misstep for both stars... the script is a tortured exercise in high-concept hokum..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 381 words, 02/08/13
Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: WEAK(cg) "Melissa McCarthy deserves better than a guitar to the face. She deserves better than getting hit by a car. She deserves better than puke gags and fat jokes."(See all of Barbara VanDenburgh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 461 words, 02/08/13
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: POOR(cg) "...an obnoxious comedy made worse by obnoxious sentimentality. Unfunny, predictable, and vulgar, it's the generic equivalent of a Judd Apatow movie."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 564 words, 02/08/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: WEAK(cg) "The whole thing's not much of anything, really -- just a little more than an hour-and-a-half of crude jokes and clumsy plotting, all wrapped up with a feel-good ribbon..."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 02/08/13
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "It sounded like a good idea... in practice this is a topic best suited to drama.... a deeply unfunny 'Midnight Run' wannabe, a chore from start to finish."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 676 words, 02/08/13
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "McCarthy's a giggly pleasure, with the funniest movie walks (and runs) since Bette Midler. But the film doesn't know what to do with her..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 357 words, 02/08/13
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: WEAK(cg) "...a vile variation on 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles,' with McCarthy shoplifting John Candy's character and Bateman doing his everyman schtick on autopilot."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 02/08/13
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Bateman is an accomplished straight man but even he seems stunned by all the commotion McCarthy and the screenplay pile on."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 02/08/13
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: POOR(cg) "...no matter how hard McCarthy tries, the film remains an unsalvageable wreck.... This movie apparently forgets it was supposed to be a comedy."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 02/08/13
Sean O'Connell, Cinema Blend: MODERATE(cg) "...could be mistaken for the latest Todd Phillips comedy. Whether that's an endorsement or a warning depends on your tastes.... isn't odious. It's just predictable."(See all of Sean O'Connell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 02/07/13
Betsy Sherman, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...funny, formulaic... McCarthy, with bouncing-off-the-wall energy and commitment to her character's facility for fiction, is at the start of what will be a wonderful career."(See all of Betsy Sherman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 149 words, 02/21/13
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...while the movie treats everything but the scenes between Bateman and McCarthy as negligible, the material it does value is reasonably satisfying."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 02/07/13
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "There's a bone-deep heartless cruelty to the movie that it fails to even recognize... or perhaps it's merely that it hopes you won't recognize it."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 917 words, 03/21/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (6 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...the comedy equivalent of mud-wrestling without the mud.... Watch the trailer, if you must, but spare yourself the full experience: 'Identity Thief' steals time."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 290 words, 02/08/13
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...it is entirely possible to ignore the worst parts of this movie, slide over the half-baked jokes and just wait for Ms. McCarthy and Mr. Bateman to do their things."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 02/08/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a sprawling mess... but the heart of this film is on the road with Bateman and McCarthy. If not for their brilliance, the movie would be running on empty."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 742 words, 02/08/13
Peter Debruge, Variety: MODERATE "McCarthy proves she's got what it takes to carry a feature, however meager the underlying material... the film's success depends almost entirely on her salty energy..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 735 words, 02/06/13
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "...there are unavoidably some laughs... Bateman does his job as the continuously put-upon straight man, but he can only react to the hurricane from the South."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 851 words, 02/06/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a sprawling mess... but the heart of this film is on the road with Bateman and McCarthy. If not for their brilliance, the movie would be running on empty."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 742 words, 02/08/13
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "Though charming in other parts, Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy make for a disappointing odd couple... The story never has much gas to begin with..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 409 words, 02/06/13
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...it is entirely possible to ignore the worst parts of this movie, slide over the half-baked jokes and just wait for Ms. McCarthy and Mr. Bateman to do their things."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 02/08/13
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...the comedy equivalent of mud-wrestling without the mud.... Watch the trailer, if you must, but spare yourself the full experience: 'Identity Thief' steals time."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 290 words, 02/08/13
21.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Identity Thief's reviews are separated by an average 21.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Identity Thief (46 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Identity Thief's reviews cover 75.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 24,511 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 533 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 7.1 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Identity Thief's reviews on average broke 7.1 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Identity Thief's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Identity Thief (46 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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