Cover Art by Tom Hodge of The Dude Designs

When we first encounter Field Agent Ashburn, she’s wearing aviators and an FBI windbreaker over her business suit. Her team is about to raid a New York apartment building. She’s the agent in charge. I happen to appreciate strong women. And if they look like Sandra Bullock, so much the better.

In The Heat, the buttoned-up perfectionist Ashburn is paired with Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) a rough- edged Boston undercover cop who earlier busted her own brother (Michael Rapaport). Mullins is pure South Boston while Ashburn is Harvard Law though there’s more to her background than meets the eye

Directed by Paul Feig [Bridesmaids (2011)] from Katie Dippold’s screenplay, the silliness implied by the trailer and production stills is only part of the story. There’s enough action to satisfy fans of cop buddy movies like Lethal Weapon and borrows effectively from its formula. The supporting cast is excellent with Marlon Wayans providing female eye candy and Kaitlin Olson hilarious as Tatiana, a Bulgarian immigrant low life.