Armed and Sort of Dangerous

Hot Pursuit is directed by Anne Fletcher (Step Up, 27 Dresses) and stars real life best friends Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Wild) and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family, Chef). "An uptight and by-the-book cop tries to protect the outgoing widow of a drug boss as they race through Texas pursued by crooked cops and murderous gunmen". Does this film really deserve its 8% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes?

No it does not - I was really excited for this film when I first watched the trailers and then the reviews came in and they were terrible. This meant that I went into Hot Pursuit with an open mind - I originally wanted it to be good but I was starting to doubt my hope/faith after hearing what critics had to say. Well, my verdict is in and I believe that Hot Pursuit was a very humorous and fun movie! 

So I have to admit, the first 20 minutes of this film had me worried as it was borderline terrible! However, if you hold out like I did, you won't be disappointed - Hot Pursuit is mostly and really likeable and fun movie. The story was surprisingly filled with plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming - Vergara's Daniella was a very interesting character. Another slight problem I had with the film is that its plot wasn't very clear - I knew that Officer Cooper had to rescue Daniella but after that, it just felt like a runaway movie. However, about 30 minutes before the end, the story finally developed which is when a big twist occurred - very impressive! What I liked about this film is that it is a 'girl power' movie - the film has two likeable female leads and then a female director - I think the representation of females in this film wasn't bad at all which was nice to see. 

Now one thing many critics have said about this film is that its not very funny - they must have no sense of humour because I was laughing a lot throughout! My favourite scene had to be where the two female characters pretend to be a deer - the noises and just the whole scene were hilarious! I also really liked the scene where the women are trying to win over a man by pretending to be lovers - very funny! I also liked how they exaggerated Sofia Vergara's fabulous accent and definitely made the most out of it. Also, even though they are the main jokes in the trailer - the ones where Vergara's age and Witherspoon's height are wrongly estimated are still funny! What I will say though is that Hot Pursuit is full of humorous moments but a lot of them are ones that only create a giggle or smile not laugh out loud moments. 

I think that Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara were a really odd but good screen combo. Witherspoon's accent did get a little annoying at times and the film probably would have worked better if she just spoke normally. However, the way Witherspoon walked at the start of the movie did have me laughing out loud - I don't know if it was a deliberate choice to be comedic but it was just too funny! Witherspoon was very good though and created a very good character with Officer Cooper. I think I have found another actress who will make me laugh no matter what (like Rebel Wilson) - Sofia Vergara is hilarious in this movie! However, what I will say is that she never really has a different role to what she has here but that doesn't stop her from being funny. The rest of the cast were also pretty good and I believe that no one put on a bad performance. 

My final criticism of this generally good film is that its production value differed from scene to scene. For the most part, the film felt like it belonged on the big screen but any scene where the characters were in a car, was clearly fake - first, Witherspoon moved the wheel far too much for a straight road and second, it reminded me of old Disney Channel TV Shows where they would be in a car with the green screen background - my theory was proven correct when in the gag reel, a green screen was seen to be used. 

Hot Pursuit is no where near as bad as other critics have said it is - it is a fun, fluffy and entertaining movie (for the most part). It surprises by showing that it isn't just another dumb comedy by introducing some unpredictable twists. Witherspoon and Vergara have an odd chemistry that works - Witherspoon has a rocky accent but is funny and Vergara is just hilarious! The production value of the film is occasionally TV Movie - esque but Hot Pursuit is generally a good time. 

3.5 STARS

B- 

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Hot Pursuit is part of our Summer 2015 campaign. 

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