Central Intelligence

This seldom-funny Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson buddy movie about former classmates with opposite profiles finds them reuniting twenty years later on the eve of their high school reunion. Ben (Johnson) was once the fat kid humiliated at a pep rally; Calvin (Hart) was the only person to stick up for him – and what was once an awkward relationship becomes a harrowing entanglement when a “Facebook friend request” leads to charges of espionage. Seeded throughout is this duality of high school status and its reflection in adult situations, since the once popular star athlete is now a disillusioned accountant, while the glory days for a bullied kid have become an obsession with John Hughes’ Sixteen Candles! Yeah, it’s all more nervous laughter than anything outlandishly hilarious, with numerous guest appearances by unrelated comedians.

[PG-13]