Where to watch Hot Pursuit
3 Stars
Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara, certainly aren’t the greatest comedic screen pairing of all time but, their easy rapport makes for a successful 87 minute romp of dim-witted fun. For some odd reason I was reminded of the 1990 Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez comedy Men at Work. That duo was able to play goofy off one another without seeming obnoxious, pompous or irritating (can you hear me, Chris Tucker?). This is a slim action comedy/road picture/female buddy movie and it mostly gets the job done and elicits a laugh, or at least a grin along the way.
Cooper (Reese Witherspoon) is a by-the-book cop. She was practically born into the profession, her father took her on ride-alongs as an infant, and she takes the job and rules very seriously. After being busted down to evidence room clerk, Cooper is looking for any assignment to get back in the field. So, she is eager to tackle her next task and prove her competence to her chief officers.
Cooper is to escort Daniella Riva (Sofía Vergara), a fiery Colombian beauty-queen turned cartel wife, from San Antonio to Dallas so both she and her husband, a former cartel head, can testify against a vicious drug kingpin. Things go south when two rival hit squads show up to assassinate Mr. Riva. Alone, Daniella must rely on Cooper to deliver her to the trail safely, before killers get them or they kill each other.
Anne Fletcher has a talent for keeping the movie cruising along and not overdoing gags. Zingers, and off-camera comments fly bye with professional aplomb. I hate to admit that preconceived notions affect my mind-state going into a screening, but I wasn’t expecting much and Hot Pursuit is an overachiever in my book.
Director: Anne Fletcher
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara, Matthew Del Negro