Little Intelligence, Lots of Fun
When Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson - San Andreas) was at school he was known as Robbie Weirdicht and was picked on for being fat and weird with only Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart - Ride Along) really sticking up for him. Now many years later Bob lost all the weight and got seriously ripped whilst also becoming a CIA operative. It is his work as a CIA operative which leads him back in touch with Calvin just as the high school reunion comes around as Calvin is an accountant and he needs his skills. Trouble is Bob has had to go rogue for his latest mission which means he draws Calvin in to his world of danger where he not only has bad guys to deal with but CIA operatives coming after him.
I like Kevin Hart but I've got to say it; "Central Intelligence" works purely because of Dwayne Johnson making a complete fool of himself. From wearing a fanny pack through out the movie to acting naive and being over the top. It is his dumb grin which he uses all the time to the way he speaks like some sort of surfer dude. Quite simply "Central Intelligence" is the Dwayne Johnson show and whilst Kevin Hart is entertaining as Calvin he is over shadowed in every way by Johnson.
The thing is that "Central Intelligence" is so reliant on Johnson playing the fool that when you look beyond there is not a great deal more to the movie, well not anything particularly original. As such we have one of those buddy comedies where are two friends end up having various scrapes and fights with bad guys and good. It is a case that "Central Intelligence" is the sort of movie which will entertain those who haven't been watching movies since the 90s the most as they may not be so familiar with the buddy storyline.
What this all boils down to is that "Central Intelligence" is entertaining thanks to Dwayne Johnson putting in a fun performance, but beyond that it is simply another reworking of the old buddy on the run style storyline.
