Superintelligence (2020)

Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy are two people whose partnership should be hitting home runs. They know each other's strengths and weaknesses to such an intimate level that it's a no-brainer. So why doesn't it work? Box office-wise, their collaborations are bringing in less money with each new outing - and now, thanks to COVID-19, who knows if studios will be willing to back these two again. If this is the case, they are <i>not</i> going out on a high note. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to go back to formula. With around 60 years of comedy experience between them, we know they're better than this. If only they knew it themselves.
- Jess Fenton

Read Jess' full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-superintelligence-mccarthy-plays-a-painfully-average-human-and-the-irony-is-truly-lost

This was a fun movie to watch, which was, as far as I can see, all it promised to be. It didn’t try to squeeze into the canon of sophisticated sci-fi, though some reviews I read on another site seemed to suggest it was trying to do just that.

This is basically a romantic comedy with a satirical look at our dependence upon technology thrown in, which I suspect hit too close to home for some people. I appreciated that film rarity, a woman who is not razor thin being a romantic lead, with a bonus of not even having her mention her weight once. Larger men are often romantic leads, but women, not so much.

The more I see Melissa McCarthy the more I appreciate some subtleties of acting rather than just the comedic stuff. She has a good rapport with her co-star, and of course with the voice and image of James Corden, who I gather some people also don’t like, but I think he is great fun, and, incidentally, a good writer (see Gavin and Stacy)

A person can of course sit back and poke holes in the plot here and there, but if you find yourself doing that, perhaps you aren’t in the spirit of the thing and need to dust off 2001 A Space Odyssey and watch it for the 21st time. Then later on, if you are in the mood for a few cheap laughs and want to feel your main squeeze burrow her face into your neck, put this movie on. I mean, your know the title is ironic, right?

Oh, and I really don’t rate this movie a ten, but I wanted to offset what must have been some ridiculously low ratings based on — well, perhaps I shouldn’t speculate.

I really liked this film. I chose it as something suitable for me and teenage kids. It was a bit of a gamble but I was pleasantly surprised. Suitable for over 10s but enough laughs for me too. It pretty much did what it said on the tin as a family comedy. I like Melissa McCarthy and I'm a begrudging convert to James Cordon. It's kind of a romantic comedy but with the threat of total global annihilation to keep both sides happy. Entertaining, fun and some genuine laughs.

(CASTELLANO) Superintelligence es una comedia bastante tonta, pero también bastante simpática. Parte de una idea que mezcla algo muy repetido con algo curioso: una inteligencia artificial todopoderosa que observa a la humanidad y decide estudiar a una persona normal, casi vulgar, para ver si merece la pena salvar el mundo, destruirlo o convertirlo en otra cosa. La premisa podría haber dado para una sátira mucho más afilada, pero la película prefiere ir por el camino fácil de la comedia ligera.

Y, aun así, se deja ver. No es una película brillante, ni especialmente inteligente, aunque hable de inteligencia artificial. Tiene chistes muy básicos, situaciones absurdas y momentos que funcionan más por tontería que por verdadero ingenio. Pero a veces eso también vale. Hay comedias que no necesitan ser redondas para arrancarte alguna risa por una chorrada, y Superintelligence pertenece claramente a ese grupo.

Melissa McCarthy vuelve a ser el principal motivo para verla. Tiene una facilidad enorme para hacer que una escena floja parezca más viva de lo que es. Su personaje está construido como una mujer corriente, torpe, amable y algo perdida, pero McCarthy le da humanidad y ritmo. No todo lo que hace gracia sale del guion; muchas veces sale de su manera de reaccionar, de mirar o de sostener una situación absurda sin romper del todo la ternura del personaje.

La parte romántica con Bobby Cannavale también ayuda a que la película sea más agradable. No es nada del otro mundo, pero tiene una calidez sencilla que encaja con el tono. En realidad, Superintelligence funciona mejor cuando se olvida de parecer una gran comedia de ciencia ficción y se queda en algo más pequeño: una mujer normal intentando arreglar su vida mientras una IA metomentodo la empuja de un lado a otro.

El problema es que la película no aprovecha del todo su idea. Con la inteligencia artificial, el control tecnológico, la vigilancia y la posibilidad de juzgar a la humanidad, había material para algo más mordaz. Pero la película no quiere meterse en demasiados líos. Prefiere ser amable, inofensiva y bastante blandita. Eso la hace cómoda de ver, pero también limita mucho su alcance.

Superintelligence no es una gran comedia, pero tampoco el desastre que podría parecer. Es ligera, absurda, irregular y olvidable, sí, pero tiene momentos divertidos y una Melissa McCarthy que consigue que muchas tonterías entren mejor de lo que deberían. Para pasar un rato sin exigir demasiado, funciona. Te ríes por chorradas, y a veces eso es justo lo que uno le pide a una comedia así.

(ENGLISH) Superintelligence is a rather silly comedy, but also a fairly likable one. It starts from an idea that mixes something very familiar with something a little curious: an all-powerful artificial intelligence observes humanity and chooses to study an ordinary, almost average woman in order to decide whether the world is worth saving, destroying or changing into something else. The premise could have led to a much sharper satire, but the film prefers the easier path of light comedy.

And still, it is watchable. It is not a brilliant film, nor a particularly intelligent one, despite being about artificial intelligence. It has very basic jokes, absurd situations and moments that work more because of silliness than real wit. But sometimes that is enough. Some comedies do not need to be perfect to make you laugh at something stupid, and Superintelligence clearly belongs to that group.

Melissa McCarthy is once again the main reason to watch it. She has a huge ability to make a weak scene feel more alive than it really is. Her character is built as an ordinary, clumsy, kind and slightly lost woman, but McCarthy gives her humanity and rhythm. Not everything funny comes from the script; much of it comes from the way she reacts, looks or holds an absurd situation without completely losing the character’s tenderness.

The romantic side with Bobby Cannavale also helps make the film more pleasant. It is nothing extraordinary, but it has a simple warmth that fits the tone. In fact, Superintelligence works better when it stops trying to be a big science-fiction comedy and becomes something smaller: a normal woman trying to fix her life while a meddling AI pushes her from one situation to another.

The problem is that the film does not fully use its idea. Artificial intelligence, technological control, surveillance and the possibility of judging humanity could have provided material for something much sharper. But the film does not want to get into too much trouble. It prefers to be friendly, harmless and rather soft. That makes it easy to watch, but it also limits it a lot.

Superintelligence is not a great comedy, but it is not the disaster it might seem either. It is light, absurd, uneven and forgettable, yes, but it has some funny moments and a Melissa McCarthy who makes many silly things land better than they should. For a relaxed watch without demanding too much, it works. You laugh at stupid little things, and sometimes that is exactly what you want from a comedy like this.