Erin Bamer | Rawr Reviews
Melissa McCarthy has quickly become world renowned for her hilarious style of comedy. It seems like every month she comes out with a new film, just as funny as the last.
With great power comes great responsibility, however, and now McCarthy is at the point where her fans are expecting each movie she stars in to improve upon the previous one. Proof of this can be seen in McCarthy’s 2014 film “Tammy,” which received mixed reviews. A lot of viewers didn’t mind it, but even more were left disappointed.
In McCarthy’s most recent movie “Spy,” we’re left with a somewhat similar scenario. The movie itself was good and undeniably funny, but with how high the bar has been set for McCarthy, many fans will most likely expect more and be let down.
The premise of the film is straightforward and not exactly original. During my viewing of it, I was reminded several times of an earlier McCarthy movie, “The Heat,” with Sandra Bullock. Then again, I don’t think the producers of the film were aiming for original either way.
“Spy” shines with its hilarious and lovable characters. McCarthy, playing the role of Susan Cooper, is predictably awesome, but the side characters also bring comedic gold to the scenes and sometimes steal the spotlight from McCarthy’s character.
My personal favorite was Jason Statham’s character, Rick Ford, a vulgar British spy who goes rogue and frequently tries to help Susan, only to screw up her missions more often than not. Cooper’s best friend Nancy, played by Miranda Hart, and the amorous agent Aldo, played by Peter Serafinowicz, are also amazing characters. Even one of the main villains Raina Boyanov, played by Rose Byrne, is somehow likeable in her own weird, sadistic way.
For the most part I was satisfied with the film. The only part that really let me down was in the lack of physical humor present in the film.
Most of my favorite McCarthy flicks are filled with stunts that McCarthy attempts to nail but inevitably fails miserably at. I thought “Spy” would be jam packed with similar stunts for sure, but alas, most of the humor comes from the dialogue and the interactions between the quirky characters. There are some shining moments, most notably one including an attempt by McCarthy to ride a motor scooter, but these are few and far between.
Don’t get me wrong, this movie had me laughing consistently. But, like I mentioned before, the McCarthy name brings with it high expectations when it comes to comedy films. “Spy” isn’t her best work, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a watch.