Spy

Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig are back together for the third time (Bridesmaids, The Heat) and will give us a fourth pairing with 2016's female Ghostbusters reboot/sequel. They have been pretty successful as Bridesmaids and The Heat brought in and $290 million and $230 million respectively, worldwide. Hey, if something works, don't mess with it.

Spy takes us into the world of the CIA with a stellar cast including Jason Statham and Jude Law as the James Bond field agents, Allison Janney as the director, and Rose Byrne as the femme fatale. McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, an under-appreciated agent support staff member who has a huge crush on Bradley Fine (Law), and has been helping him get out of jams for years through high tech spy gadgetry. When Fine is killed, and the identities of all the agents are compromised, Susan finally gets her shot to get in the field and save the day from a portable nuclear bomb.

The plot isn't so much interesting as it's a vehicle for setting up some pretty funny sequences and spans of dialogue. McCarthy is funny. This is a much better showing than that of Tammy, Identity Thief, or even The Heat. Spy offers up some smart humor and doesn't dumb down McCarthy or placate to the lowest possible viewer. There's something a bit more human to the self-deprecating fat jokes and physical comedy that Melissa McCarthy exudes as opposed to say, Rebel Wilson, or any of the men who have taken ownership of that characteristic. It's somehow less in-your-face, and her natural comedic talent takes the center stage. It's definitely part of the buffet, but it's not the main course if you know what I mean.

This is far and away Jason Statham's best performance to date. He is hilarious, and I would dare say that him and McCarthy sitting on stage with James Lipton having drinks would be enough for me to pay the admission fee. Their banter is so absolutely natural, and his character is an absolute buffoon, but a suave and somehow likeable alpha male. He is given the green light to one-up everyone in a hysterical and absurd manner, though it's totally normal to him. His anger and machismo top off his personality, and the scene of him volunteering to us the "face-off machine" is priceless.

The rest of the cast look like they are having fun. It's good to see Jude Law and Jason Statham dip into comedy, and Allison Janney is given some great zingers. The jury is still out on Rose Byrne in my book. She's funny in a supporting role kind of way, but I don't see her carrying a comedy. Her character, the Paris Hilton/Dr. Evil Russian vamp is a bit much, and I would have been more satisfied with any ethnicity other than Russian. Contrary to what spy thrillers tell you, not all super-villains are Russian. There is a lot of lost potential with her role.

There are some fun moments and great opportunities for some raunchy jokes, but the bulk of the humor is given away in the trailers. Why do comedies do that? Spy is a funny movie. Funnier than anything else out there right now, at least until Ted 2 comes out. 7/10.