‘The Heat' Opens To Mostly Positive Reviews: Critics Split On The Merits Of Foul-Mouthed Female Protagonists

The Heat, the buddy-cop comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock as its unlikely law enforcement duo, was received relatively well by critics, despite the often used – and often abused – genre of film.

McCarthy plays crass Boston Police detective Shannon Mullins to Bullock’s uptight New York cop on a mission to get a promotion. They’re brought together by a case involving a hardnosed drug lord that forces them to try to work together, despite their obvious differences and general contempt of all partners in the field.

“Laughter can be magical. It can also be crass. In the formidable person of Melissa McCarthy it is typically both,” wrote Denver Post’s Lisa Kennedy about the film. “And no director seems to know what to do with that tension quite like Paul Feig […] The crime story that pairs the crime stoppers is more broth than chowder. But the chemistry between the stars and their at-odds characters is the real deal.”

Anna Hornaday of The Washington Post isn’t quite sure to make of the novelty of having women in these roles typically reserved for men. “Seen through one lens, The Heat is the product of a cheering trend in female-centered comedies, a feminist sister under the skin to Bridesmaids,” she wrote in her review. “Seen through another, it revolves around the retrograde novelty of watching women swagger, spout vulgarities, brandish guns and toss around references to their vaginas (not to mention the odd areola and cervix).”

The Detroit News' Tom Long sees nothing feminist about The Heat, writing, “Are we supposed to consider The Heat progress? Now women, too, can star in warmed-over, predictable and painfully loud mismatched buddy-cop comedies. Yahoo, feminism wins a big one!” Shedding the sarcasm, he continued, “No, it doesn’t. Showing that girls can be as lame as guys is not a move forward.”

Regardless of the language and dirty jokes, Los Angeles Times critic Betsy Sharkey is glad the film let’s the leading women be as tough as the men. "For those worried that the essential action of the genre may have softened with chicks in the pic, know that "The Heat" is down-and-dirty tough with all the gun brandishing, foot races, car chases and bruising confrontations with the criminal element an action fan could want," she wrote in her review. Sharkey also praised the film’s emotional arc, which allows McCarthy to exhibit some nuance in her acting.

Summing up her entire review in her first sentence, USA Today movie critic Claudia Puig bluntly wrote, “The Heat is the best female buddy-cop movie since, well, ever.”

The Heat, rated R for language and violence, is currently in wide release.

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