The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart as two old high school classmates who go on the run after one of them joins the CIA to save the world from a terrorist who intends to sell satellite codes.

Halfway through his speech, a group of bullies led by Trevor Olson throws the obese nerd Robbie Weirdicht (who was taking a shower and dancing happily to "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" on a radio in the boys’ locker room) naked into the gymnasium in the middle of an assembly.

Everyone starts laughing except for Joyner and his girlfriend, Maggie Johnson, who are the only ones sympathetic towards Weirdicht; the former even going as far as to quickly cover him with his varsity jacket in a moment of compassion.

After a bar fight and tour of the school, Stone asks Joyner to review some online transactions, and he discovers a multimillion-dollar auction with bidders from radical countries, with the final bids set to conclude the following day.

Soon after Stone abducts him, explaining that he is trying to stop a mysterious criminal called the "Black Badger" from selling the codes but needs Joyner's skills to locate the meeting place.

Stone convinces Joyner to help him, so he sets up a meeting with Olson, who can track the offshore account for the auction to get the deal's location.

The new prom king is announced to be Stone; Joyner reveals to Maggie that he hacked the school's voting system to make it happen.

Before production began, Thurber convinced New Line Cinema to buy the script and the studio became the film's domestic distributor through Warner Bros. Pictures.

Principal photography began on May 6, 2015, and took place in Atlanta, Georgia, and throughout various Massachusetts locations, including Boston,[5][6] Burlington,[7] Lynn, Middleton,[7] Winchester, Somerville[8] and Quincy.

[15] The site's critical consensus reads, "Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson make for well-matched comic foils, helping Central Intelligence overcome a script that coasts on their considerable chemistry.

[14] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film two out of four stars, writing, "If you're expecting the story threads to cohere, you're in the wrong multiplex.

Club criticized the film as a "shambolic high-concept farce that doubles as a cautionary tale of where studio comedies go wrong," writing, "In spots as indifferent and self-indulgent as any latter-day Adam Sandler production ... , [Intelligence] switches back and forth from snail-paced to incoherently over-stuffed on a moment's notice, with no in-between mode.

"[19] Keith Phipps of Uproxx gave the film a positive review, saying, "It all adds up to the sort of breezy, undemanding comedy that fits nicely into the summer months, and plays beautifully in endless cable repeats.