Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Calvin Joyner, a mild-mannered accountant whose high school glory days are long behind him, reconnects with an awkward pal from high school through Facebook. After meeting up, Calvin’s mundane life takes an unexpectedly thrilling turn when he's thrust into the world of international espionage.
Central Intelligence is a by-the-numbers buddy action-comedy that leans heavily on the charm of its two leads — Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart — to carry a formulaic and predictable plot. The spy thriller elements are generic, the twists are telegraphed, and the script offers little that hasn't been seen in countless similar pairings. Johnson and Hart have genuine comedic chemistry, elevating what would otherwise be a forgettable genre exercise, but neither the direction nor the cinematography offer anything distinctive. The ending resolves everything neatly and unsurprisingly. Its novelty is low — it's essentially a high-concept fish-out-of-water comedy plugged into a cookie-cutter espionage framework, saved primarily by star power rather than any creative ambition.