IDENTITY THIEF (Rated R)

Identity theft is a serious problem. Just ask any victim. But there’s no topic too serious that can’t be turned into a comedic adventure, given the right script.

Starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, “Identity Thief” offered high expectations for some gut-busting laughs in a screwball comedy exploring the clash of diverse personalities.

As written by Craig Mazin (“The Hangover Part II”) and directed by Seth Gordon (“Horrible Bosses”), the upshot of “Identity Thief” is a more formulaic comedy, having something more in common with “The Guilt Trip.”

Still, there is laughter to be found here, if mainly because the plus-size Melissa McCarthy, much like she did in the insanely funny “Bridesmaids,” has a knack for stealing scenes.

For “Identity Thief,” McCarthy’s Diana is a big-haired, white-trash fraudster living in a small house in Winter Park, Florida, crammed full of ceramic junk and other ill-gotten gains.

A compulsive hoarder with bad taste, Diana lives it up at local spas, hair salons and local bars where she buys everyone rounds of drinks, all the while maxing out the credit cards of her victims.

Her latest casualty is a poor schmuck with the gender-neutral name of Sandy Bigelow Patterson (Jason Bateman), a Denver family man with a pregnant wife (Amanda Peet) and two small children.

The film has no problem straining credibility right from the very start.

You’d think that Sandy, an accounts supervisor at a large investment firm, would know better than to give out his vital information over the phone to a telemarketer.

Struggling to support his family and tired of dealing with his horrible boss (Jon Favreau), Sandy’s fortunes look up when he’s invited to take an executive position with an upstart competitor.

And yet at the same time, all that he has worked for is suddenly threatened, after a gas station attendant tears up his maxed-out credit card and the police arrest him for having skipped a court date in Florida.

Though some of the problems are sorted out, a Denver detective (Morris Chestnut) informs Sandy that his legal troubles could go on for many months because the culprit resides in another state.

Given a week by his impatient new boss (John Cho), Sandy travels to Florida to confront Diana and to bring her back to Denver so that her testimony can clear him of still pending charges.

Needless to say, the fake Sandy is not willing to help the real one get his life back, and so a few fights are in the offing, resulting in the destruction of his rental car and harm to various body parts.

Diana becomes more agreeable to Sandy’s plan to leave Florida when a pair of assassins (Genesis Rodriguez and T.I. “Tip” Harris) is gunning for her because she sold them phony IDs and credit cards that don’t work.

To add to her woes, Diana is also being pursued by a redneck bounty hunter (Robert Patrick), so crazed and unhinged in his chase that he’s a greater threat than the hired killers.

The road trip to Denver proves to be a test of wills between the straight-laced nebbish and the wild child of reckless behavior. Many fights, some physical, ensue.

At times, the mind games played by Diana are amusing. But when she hooks up with an overweight cowboy named Big Chuck (Eric Stonestreet), it proves humiliating for Sandy and uncomfortable for the audience.

The story offers some momentary promise when Sandy resorts to unsavory tactics directed at his former corporate boss. Unfortunately, Jon Favreau’s villainous Harold Cornish does not return to the action.

“Identity Thief” has its moments of fun, and yet it doesn’t quite fully connect in the possibilities of an odd-couple road movie. It aimed for “Due Date” territory and proved about as engaging as “The Guilt Trip.”

Nevertheless, “Identity Thief,” though stitched together with the standard comedic blueprint, presents enough amusement, thanks to the talents of Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

This column space often serves to announce the arrival of a new DVD release for a television series. For the most part, I aim to focus on something unusual or vintage.

Arriving unsolicited in the mail was a copy of “Gossip Girl: The Complete Sixth and Final Season.” As you can imagine, I did not immediate load this into the DVD player.

The only thing thrilling about the news release accompanying the delivery of said DVD was the fact that it revealed the 10 one-hour episodes of this season represent the final season.

This means, of course, that I will be spared any more installments of the “scandalous and seductive series” (to quote the over-exuberant press release).

The press release breathlessly informs that Season Six opens with the Upper East Siders working together to find Serena, who’s gone off the grid. I say if someone has gone off the grid, you just need to let the person go.

Other newsy tidbits reveal that Blair and Chuck reunite with a bang and Lonely Boy Dan writes a new tell-all book.

Fans of “Gossip Girl” will probably want this new DVD. As for me, I shall remain blissfully unaware of the identity of Gossip Girl.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.