“Central Intelligence” was directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber who has found success with other comedies like “We’re the Millers” and “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.” He’s likely to find success again here, but this is not his strongest outing. It’s his first time mixing in the action genre where he does come up lacking. Also, while the story is funny you can’t help thinking how it could have been funnier. The way the jokes are delivered does not have as loud of bang when you look back on them.

Dwayne Johnson has been acting in movies for fifteen years now and has shown wonderful growth over that time, but “Central Intelligence” will not go down as his best either. He has a lot of fun in that fat suit, but his performance here can be a bit confusing. He acts a certain way throughout the movie whenever he and Kevin Hart are on screen together and you are never clear if his character is putting on an act or if he is being genuine. This is one of those movies where you shouldn’t have to think too much, just sit back and enjoy. The last thing you need is to try to figure out his character’s motivations.

If you were expecting “Central Intelligence” to break new ground in the buddy comedy genre then get ready for a disappointment. This movie plays it safe and works by the numbers. It often doesn’t even have a good flow to it. Yes, you should laugh and it’s nice to finally have a movie again that doesn’t have a number at the end of it. However, if this movie is successful then don’t be surprise to see “Central Intelligence 2” coming soon to a theater near you.