When Melissa McCarthy is misused, she’s a bumbling, awkward, and unfunny mess trying way too hard (see: Tammy), but when she’s used correctly, she’s about as great as any other female comedian working in film today. McCarthy certainly is charming and has a down home quality to her that makes most roles she takes absolutely interesting. Even in such a derivative movie like “Spy,” McCarthy shines and arouses raucous laughs. And because of her, folks like Jude Law, Bobby Cannavale, and Jason Statham manage to shine and earn their own raucous laughter in the process. You wouldn’t think Law or Statham could be funny, but lo and behold, they’re just top notch in another great Paul Feig film about a unique female conquering some form of personal limitation.
This time around McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a CIA analyst and glorified receptionist who aides secret agent Bradley Fine. Jude Law plays Fine, a dashing James Bond super spy who really relies on Cooper to get him through a ton of tight squeezes. Without her, he couldn’t be half as heroic as he looks, and Cooper has a surefire crush on him that she finds more and more difficult to hide. Like her contemporaries she’s not respected, and considered something of a lackey. That is until Fine is ambushed by local heiress and criminal Rayna, who murders him in cold blood, leaving Cooper without much of a direction.
Rayna is the daughter of a crime boss who is the only person with knowledge of the location of a suitcase filled with a nuclear device. Now that Rayna has knowledge of all the CIA’s agents, it’s up to Susan, who isn’t on her list, to infiltrate Rayna’s operation and find a way to garner information about the weapon. Feig regular Rose Byrne is often hysterical as the paranoid and hopelessly spoiled Rayna, whose lack of trust within her inner circle often provides fodder for some of the funniest material in the film. Byrne works well off of McCarthy and carves out her own memorable moments, as well acting as a foil to McCarthy who spends much of her time trying to fool Rayna in to trusting her.
Along the way, “Spy” becomes so much more centered on incredibly close calls and hilarious misunderstandings, and McCarthy depicts Susan not as a bumbling fool, but as someone who is incredibly clever when pushed in to tough situations. Not only does Susan think on her feet more often than not, but she is also able to hold her own in hand to hand combat. Feig and McCarthy transform Susan in to a very admirable and funny heroine who manages to save the day, despite being your average woman thrust in to outstanding events. “Spy” is a funny, very witty, and clever vehicle for McCarthy who helps bring an unlikely heroine to life, a heroine who is entertaining for all the right reasons. I wouldn’t mind seeing Susan Cooper on another adventure in the future.
Watching the final credits all the way through was VERY funny. But McCarthy is so good she makes us women think we MIGHT have a chance–sorta–with Jason Statham, Jude Law, and Bobby Cannavale! But it was great that at the end she went to dinner with her woman co-worker instead of Jude Law. …and Statham was superb as super-spy Ford. It was nice to see a woman thinking quickly on her feet. The kitchen fight was INCREDIBLE–but I never quite figured out who she was fighting–too many good looking brunettes that looked the same.