Melissa McCarthy is quickly becoming the hardest-working comedienne on the Hollywood market. After her memorable performance in Paul Feig’s BRIDESMAIDS, she’s finding time in between starring on her hit series Mike & Molly to crank out a few films. This weekend folks will see her once again steal the scene in Judd Apatow’s THIS IS 40, and in 2013 she’ll be seen in potentially four big movies (one of those is a rumored appearance in THE HANGOVER III). Two of the finished films hitting soon are IDENTITY THIEF and THE HEAT, both of which find her co-starring with established leading names. This week we’re treated to a new trailer for each, so I’ve posted them here together.
Let’s start with IDENTITY THIEF, in which McCarthy co-stars with Jason Bateman as a woman who isn’t worried about taking a stranger’s identity and running up an endless tab of trouble. When the police refuse to help, Bateman’s character decides to take matters into his own hands. The movie comes from HORRIBLE BOSSES director Seth Gordon. In this new trailer we see a brief (but what I imagine to be memorable) moment featuring Modern Family‘s Eric Stonestreet. Other cast members include Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, Robert Patrick, Genesis Rodriguez, John Cho, Clark Duke, Morris Chestnut, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, and Jonathan Banks.
Horrible Bosses’ Jason Bateman and Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy lead the cast of Identity Thief, an all-star comedy in which a regular guy is forced to extreme measures to clear his name. With everything to lose after his identity is stolen, he’ll find out how crazed you can get trying to settle a bad credit score.
Next up is the red band trailer for THE HEAT, in which McCarthy co-stars with Sandra Bullock as a pair of mismatched police detectives, neither of whom gets respect from their respective departments. There was already a regular trailer for this one a while back, and this version is essentially the same stuff just with more cussing. It’s also directed by BRIDESMAIDS helmer Paul Feig, and features Marlon Wayans, Thomas F. Wilson, Kaitlin Olsen, Taran Killam, Michael Rapaport, Demián Bichir, Tony Hale and Bill Burr. It looks fun, I just hope all the best stuff isn’t in the trailer. I do like Sandra Bullock, and the idea of these two together is rather amusing. One can only wonder why this somehow didn’t become MISS CONGENIALITY 3.
Uptight and straight-laced, FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is a methodical investigator with a reputation for excellence–and hyper-arrogance. Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), one of Boston P.D.’s “finest,” is foul-mouthed and has a very short fuse, and uses her gut instinct and street smarts to catch the most elusive criminals. Neither has ever had a partner, or a friend for that matter. When these two wildly incompatible law officers join forces to bring down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing anyone expected: buddies. From Paul Feig, the director of “Bridesmaids.”
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
