Director Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks, The Office) helped stab the claim that women are not as funny as men, or that female-led films are not as successful as those with male leads, with the success of Bridesmaids. His latest feature is another comedy with female leads, but in a typically male-driven genre – the buddy cop.

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy star as an FBI agent and local detective respectively. They’re total foils to one another, with Bullock as the straight-laced type and McCarthy as the wild, unpredictable, and foul-mouthed type. The two are forced to work together to solve a dangerous case involving powerful drug lords.

The Heat follows the predictably standard buddy cop formula, where two opposites who are forced to work with each other eventually overcome their differences and learn the power of teamwork. Bullock and McCarthy’s characters are different, but both are incredibly good at their jobs. Bullock is outcasted because she outsmarts all the men in her field, while McCarthy is outcasted for her powerful personality.

What I love about the film is that it doesn’t feel too preachy about how women are treated and presented in certain aspects of society. The fact that this is the only mainstream film of the summer featuring female leads should already shed some light on the issue.

The film spends time showcasing how much chemistry Bullock and McCarthy have. Both are hilarious in their own way, and put the two together and you have a laugh fest. The script, written by Parks and Recreation screenwriter Katie Dippold, is packed with memorable one-liners that have me still cracking up laughing just thinking about it. And, following the lead of Judd Apatow films, this is a really long comedy (2 hours) that benefits from the extra running time with more character and story development. The Heat is not just a great female comedy, it’s a great comedy in general. And it’s the funniest film I’ve seen all year.