Spy (2015)

In Bridesmaids I thought Melissa McCarthy was very funny, but every other movie after that I saw with her I thought was very disappointing. I simply didn’t think she was funny and she got on my nerves. That was the most important reason I initially skipped Spy. But after all the glowing reviews (and the fact that Jason Statham is in it) I just had to check out this spy comedy, directed by Paul Feig. Was my growing annoyance with McCarthy invalid?

Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) has a desk job at the CIA. Even though she has followed all the training to be a spy successfully she is fine not being in the field. She helps others while they are doing their job. One of them is Bradley Fine (Jude Law), a spy she has a crush on. When his mission fails and every spy in the field seem to be in danger someone has to finish Bradley’s mission. That person has to be unknown and the CIA decides to send Susan to Europe to find a nuclear bomb. The location of the bomb is only known by one woman, Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne). A relatively simple assignment quickly becomes complicated and Susan is forced to be quick on her feet in order to stay alive.

I have to admit that Spy really surprised me (in a good way). It is a very well made comedy which fortunately doesn’t go the extremes other comedies nowadays feel they have to go. The story has been well written and is constantly moving. McCarthy plays a competent character and the movie never makes jokes that make fun of her. That’s refreshing to see. My favourite moments though are the ones with Jason Statham, who throughout the movie keeps making ridiculous claims of what he is able to do. All those elements together to me make it one of the better comedies that has been released in the past few years.