“When this thing’s over, I’m going to rip your throat out like Patrick Swayze in Road House.”

***

Central Intelligence opens with a de-aged version of Dwayne Johnson superimposed poorly onto an overweight body and boogying in a shower, and it ends with an outtake reel, à la Rush Hour (1998). In many ways it feels like a film of the same era too, meaning lots of goofy cliché and slapstickery. But it’s also surprisingly endearing thanks to the terrific chemistry between the two stars, Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson, the latter’s high energy performance being particularly charming. A smirk inducer rather than a full-on rib tickler it might be, but it’s one with a warm message and its heart in the right place.

Rating (out of 5):