Melissa McCarthy Is Tasked With Saving Humanity in Average Comedy ‘Superintelligence’

Sandra Miska

It’s up to Melissa McCarthy to save the world in “Superintelligence,” her latest collaboration with her husband, director and actor Ben Falcone. The pair also co-produced this action comedy, which follows a seemingly ordinary Seattle woman, Carol Peters (McCarthy) who is picked by a powerful, all-knowing A.I. to help it better understand humanity. Voiced by James Corden, Carol’s favorite celebrity, a perfect fit for someone who is supposed to be super basic, the A.I. gives her millions of dollars, a luxury apartment, a self-driving car, and everything else he thinks she needs. However, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is, and Carol finds herself put through the wringer during the three days the A.I. is controlling her life in order to get sufficient data on the human race.

We’re told that Carol is one of the most average people around, but she actually has an impressive resume, having worked at Yahoo before she decided to leave behind the corporate world eight years prior in order to focus on doing good and giving back. When we first meet her, she’s working at a dog adoption fair, during which she gets a call from her best friend, Dennis (Brian Tyree Henry), convincing her to interview for a new job. What follows is funny scene that puts her opposite Jessica St. Clair as a pretentious former college classmate interviewing her to work at her website that facilitates casual sexual encounters. It is there that we see the first signs that Carol is a person of interest for something or someone.

Corden has a lot of fun as the A.I.’s avatar, who pushes Carol to try and get back together with her ex, literature professor George (Bobby Cannavale). McCarthy and Cannavale have a sweet chemistry together, and “Superintelligence” seems like a romantic comedy as the A.I. arranges a meet cute for the former couple in the middle of a Whole Foods-esque market and, hours later, plans the perfect night out. The spark reignites, but George is set to move to Ireland for work in a few days. Three days, actually. Carol’s story takes a sharp left turn after the A.I.’s true motives come out, and she must decide what’s truly important to her in life.

The only person whom Carol confides in about the A.I. is Dennis, a tech expert. While Carol is out wining and dining with George and hoping into his bed, Dennis is involved in a convoluted plot with the military, the president (Jean Smart), and multiple world leaders to outsmart the A.I., which they rightly see as a real threat to humanity. Dennis’ actions alert two inept NSA agents (Falcone as his usual droll self playing well off of Sam Richardson) who snatch Carol at the worst possible moments, putting a damper on her romantic last days with George, and perhaps on earth.

In the end, McCarthy is her usual self, plucky and resourceful as she follows her heart and surprises the force that underestimated her. Carol is the same type of character we’ve seen her play multiple times before, which is both good and bad. Good, because in times like these we want to be comforted by warm and familiar things, but bad in that it shows that McCarthy, who earned an Oscar nomination for 2018’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, isn’t really challenging herself. Hopefully, like Carol, the actress finds herself out of her comfort zone more frequently in the future.

“Superintelligence” begins streaming Nov. 26 on HBO Max.