The Second Blockbuster Spy movie of 2015
It definitely is the YEAR OF THE SPY!
The Plot
When the CIA's top agent, Bradley Fine (Jude Law), is killed by an arms dealer heiress, Rayna (Rose Byrne), who not only has possession of a nuclear bomb but the identities of every field agent in the CIA. The only option is to send in Fine's handler, Susan (Melissa McCarthy), to get close to Rayna and discover the location of the Nuke before it falls into the wrong hands. Believing that a desk agent is unfit to fulfill the mission, field agent Ford (Jason Statham) goes rogue in an attempt to complete the mission and prove Susan is not meant for the field. But there is more to this special agent than initially perceived.
Review
Paul Feig is probably the only director who knows how to craft a proper Melissa McCarthy vehicle. Because while McCarthy has made a name for herself in Feig's breakout film, Bridesmaids, and his follow up, The Heat co-starring Sandra Bullock, she has not made a great Hollywood film that isn't directed by Feig. Which is a shame because Identity Thief and Tammy threatened to cause the public to get tired of her "schtick." But luckily this film, and perhaps a small little indie film called St. Vincent, allows the audience to realize she's not a one note character.
McCarthy shines in this movie in a role that is completely different to what she's done in her previous big Hollywood films, while at the same time still maintaining the humor that she is known for. Here she plays Susan Cooper, a CIA Analyst who is desk bound and is merely the voice in Agent Fine's ear, guiding him on where he needs to go and warning him of impending danger. Fascinatingly enough, she actually joined the CIA to be a field agent but was talked into taking the desk job. This small bit of information makes her character a completely different animal to most Spy Parody movies. Meaning she is actually a competent agent. She's not a bumbling bafoon who gets lucky, she's actually capable of doing the job. But having a lack of experience does show she has a weak stomach for violence, and there is plenty. But what really makes doing her job difficult, and hilarious, is Statham's rogue Agent Ford.
Statham is definitely the true standout of this movie as he is pretty much playing a complete parody of himself. Statham's Ford is pretty much an over confident and condescending take on every character Statham has ever played in an action movie, spun to sound like his profile of being the perfect spy. His long speeches of how he is capable of doing anything, and I mean anything, because he is such a badass will definitely bring laughs to an audience who recognizes that he's pretty much attacking his action hero image in the most hilarious way possible. It is quite refreshing seeing the more capable agent being the bumbling fool this time around instead of the protagonist. This offers a completely fresh take on the spy parody as it makes us like McCarthy's Agent Cooper rather than wishing the movie was about Statham's Agent Ford. I'm looking at you Get Smart.
But while McCarthy and Statham are definitely the heavy hitters of the movie, they would be nothing without their supporting cast of agents and terrorists. Miranda Hart plays Nancy, the voice in Agent Cooper's ear and her best friend prior to becoming a field agent. She offers great support to McCarthy's Cooper, however it feels like she's barely in the film despite being sprinkled carefully throughout it. Peter Serafinowicz, most famously known as the voice of Darth Maul and Denarian Saal in Guardians of the Galaxy, plays Agent Aldo, Cooper's Italian contact who provides some of the best laughs in the film due to his constant need of physical contact with Cooper. Then there's Agent Cooper's nemesis, Rayna played by Rose Byrne, another actress who has skyrocketed in the comedy circuit thanks to Bridesmaids. Here Byrne plays the very definition of a Spoiled Bitch, which works great as both a satire on the rich and powerful as well as the stereotypical Bond villains. Bobby Cannavale also makes an appearance as a possible buyer for the Nuke, but that's all you really need to know.
What is probably the most shocking aspect about this film is how violent and action oriented it is. Now, this is nowhere near as violent as the first blockbuster spy film of the year, Kingsman, but while that movie was awesomely violent, this film is shockingly violent. This is mainly because the film is sold mostly as a comedy rather than an action film, which will catch people completely off guard when blood and gore enter the picture. Though I can't help but feeling this is director Feig's way of saying, "Hey! I can do other stuff besides comedy," and it shows brilliantly. The fights and action sequences in the film are well choreographed without falling too far into the trap of being parodies of Spy Movie action. They feel just right and not too over the top, making it very believable for McCarthy's Cooper to be a capable fighter in the film.
Final Thoughts
This is definitely the best film Melissa McCarthy has starred in so far. It is both funny and a smart way of subverting not just the spy genre but the spy spoof genre as well by not falling into familiar territory too much. Though it still is just as predictable as Kingsman, both films benefit by feeling fresh enough to make one forget just how worn out and predictable the spy genre is. With an all-star cast and a great use of humor at times that merit it, Spy is living proof that McCarthy can still make us laugh and that Paul Feig is the right person to helm the all female Ghostbusters reboot.
SCORE: 8/10 - A well executed subversion of the spy spoof genre, despite being cliche
When the CIA's top agent, Bradley Fine (Jude Law), is killed by an arms dealer heiress, Rayna (Rose Byrne), who not only has possession of a nuclear bomb but the identities of every field agent in the CIA. The only option is to send in Fine's handler, Susan (Melissa McCarthy), to get close to Rayna and discover the location of the Nuke before it falls into the wrong hands. Believing that a desk agent is unfit to fulfill the mission, field agent Ford (Jason Statham) goes rogue in an attempt to complete the mission and prove Susan is not meant for the field. But there is more to this special agent than initially perceived.
Review
Paul Feig is probably the only director who knows how to craft a proper Melissa McCarthy vehicle. Because while McCarthy has made a name for herself in Feig's breakout film, Bridesmaids, and his follow up, The Heat co-starring Sandra Bullock, she has not made a great Hollywood film that isn't directed by Feig. Which is a shame because Identity Thief and Tammy threatened to cause the public to get tired of her "schtick." But luckily this film, and perhaps a small little indie film called St. Vincent, allows the audience to realize she's not a one note character.
McCarthy shines in this movie in a role that is completely different to what she's done in her previous big Hollywood films, while at the same time still maintaining the humor that she is known for. Here she plays Susan Cooper, a CIA Analyst who is desk bound and is merely the voice in Agent Fine's ear, guiding him on where he needs to go and warning him of impending danger. Fascinatingly enough, she actually joined the CIA to be a field agent but was talked into taking the desk job. This small bit of information makes her character a completely different animal to most Spy Parody movies. Meaning she is actually a competent agent. She's not a bumbling bafoon who gets lucky, she's actually capable of doing the job. But having a lack of experience does show she has a weak stomach for violence, and there is plenty. But what really makes doing her job difficult, and hilarious, is Statham's rogue Agent Ford.
Statham is definitely the true standout of this movie as he is pretty much playing a complete parody of himself. Statham's Ford is pretty much an over confident and condescending take on every character Statham has ever played in an action movie, spun to sound like his profile of being the perfect spy. His long speeches of how he is capable of doing anything, and I mean anything, because he is such a badass will definitely bring laughs to an audience who recognizes that he's pretty much attacking his action hero image in the most hilarious way possible. It is quite refreshing seeing the more capable agent being the bumbling fool this time around instead of the protagonist. This offers a completely fresh take on the spy parody as it makes us like McCarthy's Agent Cooper rather than wishing the movie was about Statham's Agent Ford. I'm looking at you Get Smart.
But while McCarthy and Statham are definitely the heavy hitters of the movie, they would be nothing without their supporting cast of agents and terrorists. Miranda Hart plays Nancy, the voice in Agent Cooper's ear and her best friend prior to becoming a field agent. She offers great support to McCarthy's Cooper, however it feels like she's barely in the film despite being sprinkled carefully throughout it. Peter Serafinowicz, most famously known as the voice of Darth Maul and Denarian Saal in Guardians of the Galaxy, plays Agent Aldo, Cooper's Italian contact who provides some of the best laughs in the film due to his constant need of physical contact with Cooper. Then there's Agent Cooper's nemesis, Rayna played by Rose Byrne, another actress who has skyrocketed in the comedy circuit thanks to Bridesmaids. Here Byrne plays the very definition of a Spoiled Bitch, which works great as both a satire on the rich and powerful as well as the stereotypical Bond villains. Bobby Cannavale also makes an appearance as a possible buyer for the Nuke, but that's all you really need to know.
What is probably the most shocking aspect about this film is how violent and action oriented it is. Now, this is nowhere near as violent as the first blockbuster spy film of the year, Kingsman, but while that movie was awesomely violent, this film is shockingly violent. This is mainly because the film is sold mostly as a comedy rather than an action film, which will catch people completely off guard when blood and gore enter the picture. Though I can't help but feeling this is director Feig's way of saying, "Hey! I can do other stuff besides comedy," and it shows brilliantly. The fights and action sequences in the film are well choreographed without falling too far into the trap of being parodies of Spy Movie action. They feel just right and not too over the top, making it very believable for McCarthy's Cooper to be a capable fighter in the film.
Final Thoughts
This is definitely the best film Melissa McCarthy has starred in so far. It is both funny and a smart way of subverting not just the spy genre but the spy spoof genre as well by not falling into familiar territory too much. Though it still is just as predictable as Kingsman, both films benefit by feeling fresh enough to make one forget just how worn out and predictable the spy genre is. With an all-star cast and a great use of humor at times that merit it, Spy is living proof that McCarthy can still make us laugh and that Paul Feig is the right person to helm the all female Ghostbusters reboot.
SCORE: 8/10 - A well executed subversion of the spy spoof genre, despite being cliche
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