Today’s quick review: Central Intelligence. Twenty years after being a high school superstar, Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) leads a depressingly ordinary life with his wife Maggie (Danielle Nicolet). But that changes when his high school friend Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson), now a CIA agent, asks Calvin to help him recover satellite codes stolen by the Black Badger, codes that CIA agent Pamela Harris (Amy Ryan) believes Bob stole.
Central Intelligence is a spy action comedy starring Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson. Calvin is an accountant who feels that he never lived up to his early potential, while Bob is a sensitive CIA agent who channeled his self-esteem issues into a muscular body. Central Intelligence plays the two men off each other on an off-the-books mission to save the world. Great chemistry and decent action make the movie an entertaining watch.
Central Intelligence draws most of its appeal from the interplay between Hart and Johnson. The pair are perfectly matched, and their characters play to their strengths. Calvin acts as the fast-talking straight man thrust into a situation beyond his ability to cope with, while Bob continues to throw him curveballs with his mixture of friendly, clingy behavior and dangerous spy gambles.
If Central Intelligence has a main weakness, it is that its plot is not as robust as it could be. Bob’s hunt for the Black Badger provides an impetus for the action but not much else. There is no larger world that the movie is trying to build up, only a small fragment of a generic spy mission for Calvin and Bob to interact with. The characters are also more cartoonish than they could have been, robbing the movie of some needed depth.
Overall, Central Intelligence is a solid popcorn watch that delivers excellent comedy, some entertaining action, and a minimal amount of story. Fans of either of the leads will have a fun time, but the movie gambles on them to the exclusion of all else. Anyone who dislikes either Kevin Hart or Dwayne Johnson may want to steer clear.
For a raunchier comedy about a man in a dead-end job dragged on a dangerous adventure after an encounter with a high school friend, try The Do-Over. For another spy comedy with Dwayne Johnson, try Get Smart. For a similar comedy with Kevin Hart, try Ride Along. For a crime comedy about a dissatisfied hitman at his class reunion, try Grosse Pointe Blank. For a classic comedy with a similar dynamic between the leads, try The In-Laws.
[6.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489889/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for enjoyable comedy without much substance to back it up.