CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE is, on its surface, exactly what you think it’s going to be; another vehicle for Kevin Hart to be funny-cute and for The Rock to be a bad-ass. Dig a little deeper though and you will find a movie that’s much greater than the sum of it’s parts. Hart stars as Calvin Joyner, the most popular guy in high school who goes on to a boring office job. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays the chubby school nerd, Robby Weirdict (with the help of a little movie magic). Robby changes his name to Bob Stone as an adult, and surprises everyone by becoming a tough CIA agent. He reaches out to Calvin before their high school reunion and before long, they’re both dodging bullets.
Still exactly what you expected, right? Well, there are two things that elevate CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE: The MAN and the MESSAGE. Kevin Hart is great as Calvin Joyner, and he works his patented WTF-face extensively. Dwayne Johnson makes the difference here though by doing the impossible. He makes us feel SORRY for him. This chiseled man, who resembles a cartoon super-hero more than a human being, actually becomes vulnerable. Your heart breaks for Robby when he’s taunted at school, but it’s just as painful to watch him as an awkward adult. Calvin Joyner is the only person who was ever nice to him, so Robby lavishes him with affection. Forget everything else, because the rest of the movie comes secondary to watching these men launch an adorable bromance.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE also has a surprising message. You expect Robby to attend his high school reunion and put the smack down on those who taunted him, but that’s not the case. Bob sees these men and becomes a scared teenager all over again, even though he’s three times their size. He’s made stronger by Calvin though, who reminds him how great he truly is. This movie ends up not being a story about revenge, but a reminder that a single act of kindness can change a person’s life. It tells us to BE NICE, not because The Rock will beat you up if you don’t, but because it’s the RIGHT thing to do.
Don’t give CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE TOO much credit though, because it can also be incredibly stupid. I’m still dumbfounded by the miscasting of Aaron Paul as a CIA agent, and think they hired him just to hear Jessie say “Bitch” again (Breaking Bad reference, for those who haven’t watched). Yes, I rolled my eyes and groaned instead of laughed a few times, but I still walked out of the whole thing feeling happy. Isn’t that what we really want from a movie? Especially at a time when the world has been giving us nothing but horror and sadness. CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE might not be deep or very smart, but it might also be exactly what we need right now.
