"The Rock" plays Bob Stone, a C.I.A. agent who twenty years ago was bullied in high school and is now on the run from his own agency after being suspected of treason. Kevin Hart is Calvin Joyner, an all-star student who peaked in high school and now regrets his unfulfilling life as an accountant with an inflatable gorilla outside his office. As fate would have it, Calvin was the only kid in high school who was ever nice to Bob so when Bob lands a mission and finds himself in need of accounting expertise, he returns home and recruits a reluctant Calvin. Entertaining espionage hijinks ensues. There is no lack of comedic talent behind this film. Hart and Johnson do have tremendous chemistry together both do excellent work. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber also has a successful history with comedy, having directed the cult hit Dodgeball and the more recent family farce We're the Millers. Tag on a handful of brilliant cameos and timely pacing and it's no wonder this film kept me laughing wall to wall, even if I never busted a gut.
The jokes, however, are not what sets this film a part from the many like it. It's not even its resonating themes of appreciating what you've got and never being too late to be who you want to be. No. What sets this film a part, specifically, is the way it hits on the lasting consequences of bullying. Dwayne Johnson knocks it out of the park in one scene particularly where a ripped Bob Stone cannot physically bring himself to confront a high school bully simply because he's too hurt. I teared up because so many can relate. We've also never seen "The Rock" play such a vulnerable character and it's a refreshing career move.
While Central Intelligence largely feels familiar, its talented cast and crew have delivered a solid popcorn flick with a handful of resonating themes and performances. It's worth your time.
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