Superintelligence is a rom-com with a scifi twist, Carol(Melissa McCarthy) is a former tech executive in Seattle who is struggling to find her way. She's befriended by a super intelligent AI who intends to study humanity through her and assist in her reconciling with her ex George(Bobby Carnivale).
McCarthy is charming and funny, no surprise there. Carnivale is also charming and funny and seems to relish not playing a heavy and having a role with some levity. The two have an easy but effective chemistry which is almost too subtle for the volume of the bits that surround it. Brian Tyree Henry is nice in a supporting role as Carol's friend Dennis and Sam Richardson is great as an NSA agent but the supporting cast are for the most part very minor, the story focusing somewhat on McCarthy and Carnivale but mostly just McCarthy and the voice of the AI done by James Corden.
Solid production design is somewhat perverted by a series of blatant tech product placement, presumably why it was filmed/set in Seattle was a stipulation of the funding. That aside it is a somewhat successful piece of light entertainment although in total it feels kind of retro- an echo/a reflection of something we've seen ten plus years ago. With the strength of McCarthy and Carnivale it would have been more successful as a straight two-hander the conceit- possible malevolent AI as defacto godmother- is intriguing in theory but in practice it mostly distracts from the talent of the human leads.
Diverting, playful, with heart but lacking in cohesion.
Currently streaming on HBO Max.
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