The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Flimsy script and thread-bare plot aside, there are a few genuine laughs to be had in mother-daughter, kidnapping-survival comedy, Snatched. Written by Ghostbuster’s Katie Dippold and directed by 50/50’s Jonathan Levine, Snatched, marks the second on-screen outing for Schumer after 2015’s Trainwreck and the first film in fifteen years for veteran Goldie Hawn.  While it is not groundbreaking, nor dripping with originality, the on-screen pairing of its two leads works and helps the movie keep its head above water, when all else fails.

Having been fired and dumped by on the same day, Emily Middleton (Schumer) – a thirty-something year-old with no self-awareness or direction in life – is devastated, especially because the couple was only days away from taking a romantic and un-refundable trip to Ecuador.

Emily decides to ask her safety-conscious mom, Linda (Hawn), to come along for a much-needed adventure. Arriving to their destination, Emily is hoping to get some serious partying done, while Linda would rather stay behind in the safety of their hotel.

Ignoring their advice, Emily is soon seduced by a handsome British stranger, James (Bateman), who is quick to lure her into a false sense of trust, convincing her and Linda to join him on a day excursion to see the sights. Sure enough, Linda’s fears soon become a reality, when the pair is kidnapped by a gang, which is led by a local crime lord, Hector (Jaenada), who hopes to get a handsome ransom for their release.

It would be easy to dismiss Snatched as just another disposable piece of junk that Hollywood has decided to cook up and for the most part of its running time, that isn’t far from the truth. Light on its feet, Snatched is as goofy and ludicrous as they come, with its humor ranging from straight-faced and subtle, to outrageous and downright absurd; the tapeworm scene lands as one of the most ridiculously-staged scene you’re likely to see this year.

However, negatives aside, there are a few noteworthy laughs that manage to find their way to the surface and, as silly and rash as it may be, there is no denying the on-screen power of the story’s two funny gals, whose sizzling chemistry manages to rise above the film’s many limitations. Playing off each other like pros, Schumer and Hawn save the day in Snatched; without them, this would have been the seriously empty and clumsy mess of a comedy that is very often threatens to be.