Pros: an attempt to beat the rebellion of the AI; secondary characters; the film turns out to be a romantic melodrama Cons: bad jokes; poor development of the fantastic line “Superintelligence” / Superintelligence
Genre comedy, fantasy
Directed by Ben Falcone
Cast: Melissa McCarthy (Carol), James Corden (Superintelligence), Bobby Cannavale (George), Brian Tyree Henry (Dennis), Jean Smart (US President), Ben Falcone (Charles), Sarah Baker (Emily) and others.
Студии New Line Cinema, On the Day Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures
Release year 2020
IMDb website
Carol Peters (played by Melissa McCarthy) dedicates her time to working for non-profit organizations and dreams of changing the world for the better while facing ridicule from successful acquaintances. She is one of the most mediocre representatives of humanity – it is this outrageous fact that Carol is once informed by household appliances in her own home. It seems to the heroine that this is some kind of prank, but in fact she is being approached by Superintelligence, who has chosen her for research. Now she has three days to explain to Superintelligence how human relationships work. If he does not like the result of Carol’s efforts, he will enslave or completely destroy the entire world.
This isn’t the first movie to play all sorts of jokes around the AI uprising. For example, a year ago came the comedy “Jexi” (Jexi), which ridiculed the dependence on technology and suggested the possible love of AI in humans.
If in “Jexy” AI turned the life of the protagonist into a living hell, then in “Superintelligence” AI becomes the personal assistant of the heroine, establishing her financial, work and personal affairs. At some point, what is happening turns into a typical makeover (the worst and most unfunny part of the film), which even the most glossy Hollywood films now avoid.
Leaving jokes about the transformation of appearance, “Superintelligence” is transformed into a romantic melodrama, which it remains almost to the very end, diluting the plot with a reminder of the possible end of the world. The fact is that the AI helps Carol return to George (Bobby Cannavale), with whom she once had a relationship. This help is quite intrusive and sometimes inappropriate – of all the electronic devices, the heroine is haunted by the voice and appearance of James Corden, who at first seemed to her very friendly.
Perhaps TV presenter James Corden was supposed to revive the film, adding to it his charisma. James’s charm, alas, so far only works in the format of an evening talk show, but Corden’s attempts to appear in a feature film are not particularly admired. Although “Superintelligence”, of course, does not produce such a frightening effect as the musical “Cats” (Cats).
There are references to well-known companies in the film, for example, the main character used to work at Yahoo, and her best friend (played by Brian Tyree Henry) is in charge of web security at Microsoft. The character of Brian Tyree Henry will be involved in a large-scale operation to prevent the destruction of humanity, but this line for the writers is just a comedic offshoot that dilutes the overall romance.
The film was directed by Ben Falcone, who is also the husband of the lead actress Melissa McCarthy, and this explains many of the moments in the film. Superintelligence is not the couple’s first film together; Falcone has previously directed McCarthy in the comedies Tammy, The Boss, and Life of the Party.
Actually, for the fourth joint film, the concept of combining bad jokes and Melissa McCarthy has not changed, only this time Ben Falcone added an AI with human emotions, which is torn between the desire to help a good person and the impulse to destroy the Earth.
Well, it’s a pity that Melissa McCarthy has returned to her usual comedic image, which she managed to shed in the biographical drama Can You Forgive Me? (Can You Ever Forgive Me?). But, apparently, he is much closer to her.
And as for the film “Superintelligence”, it will find its audience in the person of those who are looking for a romantic melodrama, which comes with unfunny jokes and a cameo appearance of James Corden as a bonus.
Conclusion:
“Superintelligence” is a film that, after a series of unfunny jokes, moves towards romantic melodrama.
