The Mother Daughter Bond (Snatched, 2017)

When I first saw announcements for the Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn vehicle Snatched…I cringed.  Kidnapping for laughs is kind of a weird one.  And one that has been pretty done to death.  Kidnapping for comedy films are, of course, very divorced from the realities of the crime of kidnapping.  And some are better than others.

So, I walked into this film a bit hesitant.  I had certainly laughed at bits in trailers, and I like Hawn and Schumer.  Thankfully, for me the film worked pretty well.  A lot of the weight for this falls on Schumer and Hawn, with some terrific backup by Wanda Sykes and (an entirely silent) Joan Cusack.

Goldie has a long career in comedy and knows her trade.  This is a real benefit for Schumer since they have a nice chemistry together.  Schumer is basically playing a common character for her.  The aimless and awkward loser.  Hawn plays her over protective and cat loving mother.

Emily (Schumer) gets dumped by her boyfriend (an entertaining but brief appearance by Fresh Off the Boat’s Randall Park) and drags her mother along with her on a non-refundable trip to Ecuador.  Once there, they become tricked by a handsome stranger who delivers them to kidnappers who plan to ransom them.  What follows is Emily and her mother on the run from a vicious Ecuadorian warlord and trying to get to the nearest American Embassy.

As noted, Schumer and Hawn have a good chemistry, and the film is populated by great character actors.  The jokes often hit their target and are entertaining enough to not be distracted by a pretty conventional story about parent and child realizing how much they love each other.

Also, it was really nice watching a comedy and not getting bored because scenes went on to long.  Seriously, the most common complaint I hear people make about comedies is “Should have been a half an hour shorter.”  Snatched does not overstay it’s welcome, clocking in at a nice hour and a half.

Snatched does not break any new comedy ground, but it was a fun film with a good cast and funny jokes.