On paper, it's easy to see why a studio couldn't resist the pairing of Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn in a comedy. And then having them play mother and daughter and tying the movie to Mother’s Day — that just seems like a can’t-miss opportunity.
But, sadly, you are going to be disappointed with “Snatched.”
The movie, opening Friday, has such a dull and unoriginal story that even two comedy pros like Schumer and Hawn can’t salvage it.
The two characters head off on an exotic vacation to Ecuador after Schumer’s Emily gets dumped by her boyfriend and can’t get anyone else to go with her on the trip besides her mom. While enjoying the all-inclusive hotel, Emily has a wild night out with a local guy, who takes her beyond the resort walls to experience how to really party in the country. The next day, Emily drags her mother on a day trip with the guy, which leads to them being kidnapped.
We then follow mother and daughter as they escape from their kidnappers and try to find their way to the authorities, leaving injured bad guys and stale jokes in their wake. And, as it goes with most of these comedies, along their adventure the two find not only who they really are but also a deeper love for each other.
Director Jonathan Levine (“The Wackness,” “The Night Before”) and screenwriter Katie Dippold (2016’s “Ghostbusters”) were obviously going for an edgy “mom-com,” in which the men are idiots and a story of self-discovery is at the core (Emily helps Ecuadorian women form a human chain to take water from a well, which brings her to an aha moment). But what we get out of the ultimate product is a watered-down version of Schumer's shtick, well-known from her Comedy Central show and stand-up, and Hawn looking completely out of place the entire time.
I will give the movie a few positives: It has a tapeworm gag that is a solid gross-out comedy moment, and there’s a brief subplot involving Ike Barinholtz’s character trolling an FBI agent that’s pretty great.
But there should have been a lot more to praise. File this one under wasted opportunity.
