Identity Thief | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Seth Gordon |
Produced by |
Scott Stuber Pamela Abdy |
Screenplay by | Craig Mazin |
Story by | Jerry Eeten Craig Mazin |
Starring |
Jason Bateman Melissa McCarthy |
Music by | Christopher Lennertz |
Cinematography | Javier Aguirresarobe |
Edited by | Peter Teschner |
Production
companies |
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Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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112 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $35 million |
Box office | $174 million |
Identity Thief is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Seth Gordon, written by Craig Mazin, and starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy. The film tells a story about a man (Bateman) whose identity is stolen by a woman (McCarthy).
Despite being a commercial success, grossing over $170 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, the film received generally negative reviews from critics.
In Denver, accountant Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) buys identity theft protection from Diana (Melissa McCarthy), a con artist, over the phone and reveals all of his personal information. At work, after Sandy clashes with his obnoxious and bullying boss, Harold Cornish (Jon Favreau), he receives a phone call that reminds him he has an appointment at a salon in Florida. Confused, he puts it out of his mind when co-worker Daniel Casey (John Cho) suggests they and several others leave Cornish's company and start their own firm; Sandy agrees to join them.
When paying for gas, Sandy's credit card is declined, and the clerk cuts it up. As the credit card company tells him that he has spent huge amounts of money in Florida, he is arrested for missing a court date there. At the police station, Detective Reilly (Morris Chestnut) determines Diana has stolen Sandy's identity. The situation worsens when cops ask Daniel, now his boss, about Sandy's possession of drugs. Reilly says Sandy's name was used to buy drugs from someone named Paolo (Jonathan Banks). When the cops say they can do nothing due to jurisdictional issues unless the identity thief is in Denver, Sandy offers to retrieve her and convince her to clear his name, despite his wife, Trish's (Amanda Peet) concerns.
Sandy finds Diana at the salon in Florida, but when he confronts her, she steals his rental car. Finding her address in her abandoned car, he investigates her house, which is full of merchandise and stolen credit cards. The pair scuffle; before Sandy can handcuff her, criminals Marisol (Génesis Rodríguez) and Julian (T.I.) burst in, angry that Diana gave Paolo bad credit cards. After Sandy and Diana escape, Sandy tells her about his plan to restore his reputation, and she agrees to help. Meanwhile, a skiptracer (Robert Patrick) is dispatched to track down Diana for a substantial bounty. Because their IDs are identical, flight is impossible, and they travel to Denver by car.