Several subjects are more ill-suited to comedy than identity theft: undergoing a root canal procedure, watching your house burn down, learning a beloved pet has died.

Still, the notion of a person having his finances ransacked by a stranger doesn’t promise hours of hilarity, and the makers of “Identity Thief” realize this. After setting up the professional and emotional devastation Jason Bateman’s character suffers when his identity is stolen, the movie does its best to say, “You know what? Forget about that. Laugh at the crazy car crashes instead.”

Bateman’s character is a mensch, a mid-level functionary in a Denver financial services firm with a beautiful wife (Amanda Peet, who deserves to be in better movies), two darling daughters and a lifestyle they can just about afford. A phone call from an identity thief played by Melissa McCarthy threatens all this.