‘Hot Pursuit’ Review: Frigid comedy

In one scene in Anne Fletcher’s Hot Pursuit, bookish cop Cooper (Reese Witherspoon) and witness-to-be Mrs. Riva (Sofia Vergara) exchange awkward hugs and kisses just to seduce a middle-aged man into not reporting them to the police. 

The two ladies’ little ruse sort of worked. The man got so bothered by the action that he pulls the trigger of his rifle, crudely alluding to the man achieving some sort of sexual climax. The man loses a finger as a result of his overactive imagination, giving the two heroines a chance to bargain their way out of the mess. 

This is the type of comedy that Hot Pursuit has in spades, crudely playing to stereotypes. It gets awfully repetitive. More importantly, it is counter-productive to what seems to be the film’s only real selling point, which is the fact that it is a buddy flick that is driven by female characters.

Misunderstood women

Cooper’s a strange creature of fiction. As played by Witherspoon, she sports a near-robotic affinity for rules and trivial information. She says they relax her. However, this peculiar quip only makes the character boring and predictable, more a silly running joke than an actual person to root for.

Mrs. Riva is similarly crafted. Her supposedly comical temperament is expected of characters based on a specific archetype, which is the beauty queen that has been reduced to obscurity by being turned into a trophy wife. She is loud and reckless, often to the point of being annoying. Vergara fits the role to a T, which isn’t really saying much considering the role is meant to be a caricature with delusions of a soul. 

Cooper and Mrs. Riva represent women who are often misunderstood, given that they exist in a world dominated by men. Cooper’s been referred by her fellow cops to as a glorified secretary, because her role in the police department has been limited to safeguarding evidence instead of catching criminals. Mrs. Riva, on the other hand, has for many years been subjected to being objectified. 

The two beg to be treated like human beings instead of the stereotypes that they are. However, Hot Pursuit does not provide any real opportunities for them to exist other than as tired gags. Like its many unsuccessful punchlines, the film’s endeavor to be this fun document of female empowerment is nothing more than an empty slogan.

Lack of chemistry

The screenplay stretches the very limited charms of the mismatched characters in a comedy that stubbornly relies on how odd a team they make.

The film dwells too much on grating arguments and torturous misunderstandings that are staged for the purpose of having two women engage in verbal catfights. This may be funny on the first few instances, but when the stunt is overused out of comic laziness, it ends up being painfully obnoxious. 

Fletcher is as lazy as her film’s screenplay. She uses Witherspoon’s weathered charisma and Vergara’s appeal to carry the film. The supporting characters, including the felon-on-the-run (Robert Kazinsky) who is used as Cooper’s love interest, are all dull and worthless. As a result of this, Hot Pursuit becomes such a tiring viewing experience when Witherspoon and Vergara’s antics have been rendered toxic by overuse.

Short-term fun 

It won’t ruin your day, but Hot Pursuit just does not have enough well-earned laughs to legitimize its existence. It is run-of-the-mill fare, a comedy that is only good on paper but tedious in execution. – Rappler.com

Francis Joseph Cruz litigates for a living and writes about cinema for fun. The first Filipino movie he saw in the theaters was Carlo J. Caparas’ Tirad Pass. Since then, he’s been on a mission to find better memories with Philippine cinema. Profile photo by Fatcat Studios