Writer: Katie Dippold
Director: Jonathan Levine
Cast: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Ike Barinholtz and Wanda Sykes
After Emily (Schumer) is fired from her job and dumped by her boyfriend. She convinces her overly cautious mother to join her on what would have been a romantic getaway. Emily’s mom Linda (Hawn) is a quiet careful divorcee and the polar opposite of her carefree offspring. The duo embarks on a relaxing vacation only to find themselves drugged and kidnapped by a gang of angry locals. Despite their naivety, the pair proves to be too much for their captors and ultimately leave them wishing they had never snatched them.
If you’ve ever taken a trip with an annoying relative this is the movie to take them to. Snatched is the non-refundable vacation from Hell. After being fired, then dumped, Emily Middleton realizes she has no friends outside of social media and forces her mother to come along on her sexy trip. Schumer is the clueless daughter who seems completely unaware how the world works. Hawn is the watchful mom who sees a threat around every corner. Together they make an impossible duo, constantly at odds but ultimately dependent on one another. Emily needs to be more of a productive adult and her mother needs to be less of an insane cat lady. Their dynamic is enhanced by a string of crazy characters they encounter on their catastrophic journey. Ike Barinholtz gets big laughs as Emily’s awkward older brother Jeffrey. Not only is Jeffrey an agoraphobe he’s a weird loner with a creepy attachment to his mother. Despite his fear of leaving the house Jeffrey does everything he can to save the love of his life, his “ma-ma”. He forges a unity with a grisly Government employee who reluctantly helps him just to put a stop to endure his endless calls and bizarre threats. In one angry misguided exchange, he actually threatens to come to the agent’s house and F*** his D***. Also along for the ride are two retired special ops played by Wanda Sykes and Joan Cusack. These two take an inexplicable liking to Emily and her mother and become their hapless saviors, well sort of. Despite all their training they seem to always miss the mark. In one scene, while trying to rescue Linda, they hop over a fence, sneak past heavily armed guards and jump out of a window only to be carted away on a van they landed on without Emily or Linda. In addition to laughs, this movie has a fair amount of action. If you thought this would one of those “chick flicks” filled with silly Home Alone/Disney style violence, think again. One guy gets shot in the throat, another gets beaten to death with a shovel, and yet another man dives off a cliff. From start to finish this was an enjoyable movie. Snatched is in the theater this weekend just in time for Mother’s Day, so why not treat your annoying mother or pain in the rear daughter to a good laugh and a wild adventure.