Movie Review: 'Spy'
- sarahkloepple
- Jun 8, 2015
- 2 min read
"Spy" marks the third collaboration between Melissa McCarthy and writer-director Paul Feig after 2011's mega hit "Bridesmaids" and 2013"s "The Heat."
Similar to "The Heat" and buddy cop movies, “Spy” isn’t a spoof of spy thrillers. Instead, it fits into the genre of spy comedy. But it’s smarter, funnier and more nuanced than most (I’m looking at you, “Johnny English”).
McCarthy is Susan Cooper, a CIA operative who isn’t out drop-kicking henchmen and seducing bad guys for intel. Instead, she’s sitting studiously at her desk and feeding information to the tuxedo-donning, James Bond-type agents, including her crush, Bradley Fine (an adorably arrogant Jude Law).
But when things go south for Fine, and when a Bulgarian baddie, Rayna, played by Rose Byrne, claims to know the identities of the CIA’s top agents, Susan is thrown into the field.
There are so many things that make “Spy” smart and not a loud, slapstick comedy of mishaps and accidental successes. For starters, Susan actually knows what she’s doing in the field. It’s not a lack of skill that’s kept her from kicking ass; it’s a lack of confidence. She’s quick on her feet and is effective when, posing as Rayna’s body guard, she pretends to be confident (although we know she’s not actually pretending, even if she doesn’t).
I’ve also never seen anything like Jason Statham’s character, Rick Ford. He quits the CIA and goes rogue after Susan takes the mission. He’s always right behind her, waiting for her to screw up. But what makes him so goddamn hilarious is that he’s actually an average/borderline terrible spy.
Did you get that? Macho action star Jason Statham plays a bad spy. It’s one of the funniest things in the film. See the movie if only for the monologue he gives in Susan’s motel room about his definitely-made-up war stories.
Overall, with “Spy,” Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy get it right once again.
