I'm scratching my head trying to remember the trailer for Hot Pursuit. I don't think this film ever looked particularly good, but I like Reese Witherspoon and Sophia Vegara, so it was worth giving it a shot.
PLOT- Rose Cooper (Witherspoon) is following in her recently deceased father's footsteps, by becoming a no-nonsense Texas police officer. Cooper was disgraced, when she accidentally tasered the mayor's son. Her first duty after her suspension is to escort Daniella Riva (Vegara), the wife of a criminal informant, to testify in court. So far, no one has lived long enough to testify against drug lord Vicente Cortez. When Cooper and her partner show up to escort Daniella and her husband, two groups of assassins kill Mr. Rivas and Cooper's partner.
Cooper and Daniella escape, but they soon realize that certain members of the police department are working for Cortez and that their lives are in danger. Cooper and Daniella are declared fugitives. Their only hope is to get to the court house without getting caught or killed.
LIKE- Um...huh....this is a difficult question. The very opening montage showing a young Cooper wanting to be a cop like her father, is a sweet and fitting start to the film. Unfortunately, Hot Pursuit goes south very quickly.
DISLIKE- Predictable, Predictable, Predictable... There is absolutely zero originality in this film. The jokes are completely flat, including a really dumb running gag where newscasters keep reporting Cooper's height to be increasingly shorter and Daniella's age to be older. There are so many stereotypes with both gender and race. Unfunny and even offensive.
Judging by the outtakes in the end credits, it seems like Vegara and Witherspoon had fun making this film. Despite a friendship between the actresses, their characters had zero chemistry. The tone of the film is entirely off. It doesn't know whether it wants to be a gentle comedy or an action film. It straddles both and doesn't do either well. There are so many completely ridiculous scenes, including the leads dressing up like a deer and crawling along a highway and a bus chase scene with senior citizens. It's just so silly.
RECOMMEND- No, absolutely not, Not even a rental. Although, I have to fess up that there were several people sitting behind us that were in hysterics, so I guess this brand of humor appeals to some. We thought Hot Pursuit was dreadful.