Director:
Anne FletcherWriters:
David Feeney, John QuaintanceStars:
Reese Witherspoon, Sofía Vergara, Matthew Del Negro | See full cast and crew »Storyline
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.
Hot Pursuit movie Reviews
What
do you get when you bring together two actresses whose careers
developed almost completely opposite of each other? Well, if they're
Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara, you get "Hot Pursuit" (PG-13,
1:27). Vergara's early acting gigs included several dramatic roles, but
she's had her greatest successes in comedies. Witherspoon's career
worked out the other way around. Known in recent years primarily for
dramatic films, such as her Oscar-nominated role in "Wild" (2014) and
her Oscar-winning turn in "Walk the Line" (2005), her early career was
dominated by comedies. Before she got all serious on us, Witherspoon
starred in the "Legally Blonde" movies (2001 and 2003), "Sweet Home
Alabama" (2002) and "Election" (1999) – with two of those movies earning
her Golden Globe nominations. Sofia Vergara doesn't have as many films
under her bustier as Witherspoon, but she's definitely made her mark on
screens big and small. Earlier in her career she found herself in deadly
serious fare like "The 24th Day" (2004), "Four Brothers" (2005) and
TV's "Dirty Sexy Money" (2007), but she really hit her stride in
comedies. Her appearance in "Machete Kills" (2013) was an over-the-top
hoot and, of course, she has been honing her craft on TV's "Modern
Family" since 2009. Regardless of their previous roles, having two
talented and beautiful actresses in the same film is bound to make it
hot… but is it worth pursuing?
The
odd-couple pairing of Cooper and Riva is played for a lot of laughs –
and a bit of drama. There are running jokes about Cooper's lack of
height and overabundance of neurotic behaviors, as well as Riva's sex
appeal and tough, but aloof attitude. The characters' many differences
give writers David Feeney and John Quaintance and director Anne Fletcher
plenty of options for comedy and they seem to explore them all. The
director and her stars give us some great sight gags and physical
comedy, the writers give us a lot of funny lines and situations, and the
plot throws us a couple curve balls that result in a third act that is
equally dramatic and humorous. Witherspoon's performance is reminiscent
of Sandra Bullock's characters in her cop comedies, but sweeter and
funnier. Vergara is basically playing a close cousin of Gloria
Delgado-Pritchett, but what works for her in her sitcom, works in this
movie. "Hot Pursuit" may well be Witherspoon's best comedy to date and
Vergara is nearly as funny in this film as she is on TV. These two
actresses may have arrived at this comedy by way of very different
roads, but I, for one, am glad they got there. The characterizations of
Cooper and Riva are a little uneven and the plot is not terribly
original, but the movie entertains. This may not be the hottest film in
theaters this spring as it pursues the likes of the newest "Fast and
Furious" and "Avengers" movies, but it is worth catching. "B+"
