Not So Hot Pursuit

This week’s movie from the limited choice of the lull between popular release weeks and holiday period was the Reece Witherspoon/Sophia Vigara road movie Hot Pursuit. Now I went in not expecting much from this movie and well that’s pretty much what I got.

The story is nothing new it’s a typical point A to point B movie with standard roadblocks along the way.

Bad Cops / Good ‘Overachiever’ Cop no one takes seriously
Revenge plot
Cinderella sub plot

I’ve seen Reece Witherspoon do a number of great movies (Cruel Intentions, The Man in the Moon, Walk the Line, Legally Blonde) and some not so great ones (Vanity Fair, Four Christmases) this one goes in to the “Not so Great” Category.

I usually like Witherspoon, she has great comic timing and can pull off a whole range of characters who at their core are all inherently likeable (Sweet Home Alabama) only this one was just well bland. The accent she used was harsh and cold and didn’t suit her and the whole mini subplot of her going from being the laughing stock daughter of a cop to an admired officer with a ‘criminal’ boyfriend was too contrived.

Vigara played the same character as her Modern Family TV show, playing on her sultry looks and trophy wife wardrobe. Her story line; that of the criminal’s wife in witness protection with a case of heavily bedazzled shoes, holds no weight. The relationship with Witherspoon’s character is flat and stunted and feels rather uncomfortable. Even though there are attempts to connect the two characters the result is more periods of exposition rather than true empathy.

Even the introduction of a love interest for Witherspoon’s character was dull and predictable pairing a by the book cop with a criminal with a good heart. I spent more time invested in remembering where I’d seen the actor before than caring about the budding romance which was flat and humourless. (By the way he used to be in Eastenders)

All in all I’ve seen worse movies but I’ve seen a lot better and I wouldn’t say my pennies were well spent on this night.

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