melissa mccarthy

“She's crazy!” That's what 'Arrested Development' star Tony Hale shouts from the back of Melissa McCarthy's broken down jalopy of a police car as she goes through the motions of an uninteresting chase sequence. "Hoo boy," I mutter. "We're in for another 'Identity Thief' here" - a movie where physical comedy and riff-heavy music cues will have to suffice instead of any real wit.

We've been hearing a lot of news about sequels recently (including '21 Jump Street 2' and 'Fast and Furious 7'), but those have been for hit films or are continuing a franchise that has already proved successful enough to rush. Today it's been announced that studios are working on sequels for 'The Heat' and 'Ride Along,' two films that haven't even hit theaters yet.

Is Melissa McCarthy a movie star yet? The opening weekend of 'Identity Thief' suggests that yes, she is. After all, all of those people weren't flocking to this movie because of Jason Bateman (as delightful as he is). Anyway, all of this pretty much means that McCarthy's asking price just doubled.

Making comedy about a man whose credit line is ruined and is about to go to court for debt because of identity theft seems difficult. It's a nightmare scenario for anyone who's suffered it before. Hopefully Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy are enough to make 'Identity Thief' entertaining, and now we've got a trailer for the film.