"Superintelligence" is far funnier and sweeter than it has any right to be
As much as I adore Melissa McCarthy, I’ve found the movies she makes with her husband Ben Falcone to me kinda… not great. Tammy was muddled, and even in Life of the Party, McCarthy’s innate charm couldn’t hide the fact that the movie didn’t have much of a plot. Chock it up to quarantine boredom that I ended up watching their latest out, Superintelligence, on Crave (in the US, it’s on HBO Max).
It was actually kind of… lovely! And nice! And funny! And that’s despite featuring the voice of James Cordon in a major part!!! I’m just as shocked as you are.
The movie’s about Carol, who was once a major player in the tech industry but quit her job years ago so she could try to better the world. She’d also broken up with her boyfriend at the time, George (the always delightful Bobby Cannavale). One day, an AI called Superintelligence attains sentience and decides to observe Carol’s life to get a better understanding of humanity (and whether it needs to destroy the world). In the process, Superintelligence decides to use the voice of James Corden (I mean, eh, okay) and also helps Carol achieve her personal goals, including reconnecting with George.
There are some really great jokes in here, and the script makes some good decisions right off the bat — specifically, that Carol doesn’t have to keep Superintelligence a secret at all. (“I’m not a genie in a Disney movie. Tell anyone you want; what do I care?” the AI says.)
But the real charm of the movie comes from the chemistry between McCarthy and Cannavale, who play off each other incredibly well. Carol and George’s relationship feels real and lived in, and while they certainly have history and baggage, it’s clear they deeply care for each other and enjoy spending time together. There’s a moment in a restaurant that I’m fairly sure was improvised, and it provides such a warmth to their dynamic that you can’t help but root for them.
And yes, while there is certainly a lot more James Cordon than I’d like, he doesn’t derail the movie at all and gives a decent performance (there are some on-camera appearances from Cordon, but for the most part, it’s just his voice, which may be what helped). Plus, there are excellent supporting performances from Jean Smart (Designing Women, Watchmen) and Bryan Tyree Henry (Atlanta).
Yes, this is a high-concept story, and there’s some definitely some wackiness about the AI that wants to destroy the world (and that’s very funny!), but ultimatley, Superintelligence is actually more of a small, sweet story about making room in your life for the people you love and trying to make every moment count. I think that McCarthy and Falcone do their best when they’re given a specific, urgent plot that they can then build characters and relationships around, and that really comes across here. I liked this movie a lot!
That’s all for me today, gorgeous! Talk to you soon.
Love,
Kat
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