Movie Review: Superintelligence is Super Sweet
Directed by Ben Falcone and written by Steven Mallory, Superintelligence, out November 26 on HBO Max, furthers that this platform will amplify HBO”s core initiative to give us thought-provoking, fresh content. In Superintelligence, Melissa McCarthy’s Carol becomes the epicenter of a literal existential crisis. When an AI (voiced by James Corden), called Superintelligence, threatens to destroy the world in 3 days, if she doesn’t show him the value of humanity, a sincere journey on happiness is sparked. This turns the film into a much needed and relevant look into why we don’t try for dreams, amend relationships, and love ourselves, even if the latter two never pan out.
There is an unavoidable sweetness to Superintelligence that only builds throughout the film. Of course, in the beginning, it is cheesy, silly, and filled with laugh out loud physical comedy. Melissa McCarthy has built her comedic career off characters that are always underestimated. She is the noble “schlep” that reveals to everyone they are the real fools for presuming intelligence comes from a certain personality, beauty from a certain look, and honor from a certain spirit. In that sense, Carol is no different from McCarthy’s previous characters, except that Melissa has embraced her niche to nuance it. Carol is a total charm because she is really kind, exuberantly joyous, and living in a world that makes such qualities small.
Superintelligence | Official Trailer | HBO Max
As the film progresses, you understand why Superintelligence picked Carol to redeem humanity in his eyes. She truly is a wonderful heart that has always done the right thing for other, which is a stark contrast to the many powerful men that have tried to use Superintelligence to build themselves in exchange for destroying others. Carol IS NOT like that, which leads the film to question whether she should be or whether there is a balance between doing right for others and yourself. As Supertintelligence lavishes Carol with money, luxury goods, and fine apartments he can just hack into and digitally place her as owner, viewers are endeared by her “Treat Yourself” journey, of which she never becomes corrupt or spoiled. What Mellssa McCarthy has done is made a character that is consistently good in nature, no matter what, but her bond with Superintelligence is an observance of how humanity is “good” to itself: as a species and as individuals.
I have to say Superintelligence was truly delightful. It was a breeze in pacing and its laughs felt light-hearted and un-brutish, which people really need in these Covid times. Yet, I loved that it was unafraid to go into some really philosophical questions about what makes humanity “human” or rather good, and whether that definition means denying one’s own joy. With Bobby Cannavale as Carol’s hilarious, boisterous boyfriend, George, and Brian Tyree Henry as her loyal, loving friend, Dennis, the film is a rich comedy; unafraid to be deep and funny enough to not be boring about it.
