identity thief

Identity theft is serious business. According to FTC estimates, as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. It can lead to irreparable damage to your credit, hurt you when you’re applying for jobs or loans, and cause immense emotional and psychological distress. And if your identity is stolen by Melissa McCarthy, it can also lead to getting punched in the throat. At least that’s what we’re led to believe based on the first trailer for the new film, Identity Thief. The movie stars McCarthy as a trashy con artist and Jason Bateman as her hapless victim who decides that he’s going to bring her down. Originally, the role that McCarthy is playing was written for a male, but Bateman insisted that the part be changed after he saw McCarthy’s breakout role in the blockbuster comedy Bridesmaids. Based on the above trailer, the move seems to have paid off. Fans of Bridesmaids know that McCarthy is a spitfire of an actress and nobody does deadpan better than Jason Bateman, which is why they work together so wonderfully. While McCarthy’s frizzy-haired crook may look like a hobbit (as Bateman’s character describes her), it’s clear that she’s not going to give up her ill-gotten gains easily and that should lead to quite a fun and funny roadtrip comedy. Identity Thief, which was formerly titled ID Theft, is directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) and was written by Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness) with subsequent rewrites by Craig Mazin (Hangover 2, Hangover 3). In addition to McCarthy and Bateman, Identity Thief stars Amanda Peet, John Cho, Eric Stonestreet and Jon Favreau.