Review: ‘Hot Pursuit’
Hot Pursuit is thornier to review than I had anticipated. It is highly flawed, but hard to hold in extreme contempt thanks to an angle that casts it in a different light.
Legacy policewoman Rose Cooper (Reese Witherspoon), stuck in the purgatory of the property clerk’s office after making a very wrong judgment call in the field, is assigned to work with Deputy U.S. Marshal Jackson (Richard T. Jones) on a special mission. The trial of drug lord Vincente Cortez (Joaquin Cosio) is about to begin and two witnesses need to be placed into protective custody, former henchman Felipe Riva (Vincent Laresca) and his wife Daniella (Sofía Vergara), which necessitates a woman’s presence.
Already this rings false. Why isn’t someone more qualified chosen for this? Are there really no other female law enforcement officials in the area? Or, since this is a high-profile case that warrants the involvement of the U.S, Marshals, the entire country?
Anyway, they arrive at the Riva residence. Cooper is with her charge as she packs up (those items of course being clothes, clothes, and, what else, clothes) when things go pear-shaped. Hitmen show up and in the shootout Jackson and Mr. Riva are killed. The women flee, but news about the shooting soon spreads and both are blamed for it.
It’s all not very funny. The running gag of news reports gradually decreasing Cooper’s height and increasing Riva’s age is really the best it has to offer, and that was already in the trailer. Add to that poor direction, a wasted supporting cast, and slapdash plotting.
But what throws in wrench into coming down hard on it is that the featured heroine is a type rarely if ever depicted in film. With her vast knowledge of police regulations that she can recite instantaneously and difficulty in picking up on social cues (among other such traits), Cooper is clearly coded as having Autism or Asperger’s. And as one of the scant few high-functioning characters in a story where the condition is not a defining aspect (and the main character at that), it’s an admirable development, especially when one keeps in mind that the other half of the team is also from a marginalized group.
It is therefore highly unfortunate that this movie is meant to be comedy, and as such a lot of the supposed humor is made at this character’s expense. Many audience members are going to simply see her as stupid and not have any understanding or sympathy. Not helping matters is the script going back and forth on her level of job proficiency. In one scene she’ll be making a Columbo-level detective observation, and in the next unable to interpret a simple drawing that she herself made.
Had this been a straight action thriller, it would’ve turned out much better and perhaps quite solid. Witherspoon has extraordinary dramatic prowess and did recently return to form quite nicely with Wild. For a long time I’ve wanted to her play a cop; she is certainly credible in the role and could really have brought something were it with more serious substance.
Vergara on the other hand is just playing Gloria Pritchett again. That’s not anything in reference to her acting, but the character is written the same way, complete with the Colombian criminal “jokes.” There’s some attempt to give her character greater depth and motivations, but it’s all too forced.
“What could have been…” can apply to most any disappointing film, but Hot Pursuit screams it much more than most. Those interested in the portrayal of individuals with Autism/Asperger’s might want to look into it to evaluate, but those interested in comedy should keep looking.
