Spy (7/10): The name's Cooper, Susan Cooper.

“Can you imagine me as a spy?“

It’s a safe bet to say that Melissa McCarthy is at her comedic best when working alongside writer and director, Paul Feig (Bridesmaids and The Heat), so if you were worried about her recent failings in Identity Theft and Tammy, fear not because Spy delivers plenty of laughs and interesting action sequences. McCarthy can easily be discarded for repeating the same gags, but she proves that when given an intelligent script she can continue to deliver strong comedic roles. It helps that Feig is a fan of the spy genre and he cleverly manages to balance the action set pieces with the comedic moments. Spoof films have grown tiresome over the past years, but when done correctly they can still be entertaining and Spy is such a film. The film didn’t open strong with me, but it eventually grew on me as McCarthy’s character was empowered. 

In Spy, McCarthy plays the under confident Susan Cooper, a CIA analyst who serves as the eyes and ears of one of the agency’s top field agents, Bradley Fine (Jude Law). It becomes evident from the opening sequence that Fine is a spoof of James Bond, but I felt those moments a bit forced. When a mission goes wrong and the identities of all of the spies in the agency have been compromised, Elaine Crocker (Allison Janny), the agency’s stern boss decides to send Susan to Europe to uncover a conspiracy involving an arms dealer who is trying to sell a nuclear bomb to terrorists. The elegant dealer, Rayna Boyanov, is hilariously played by Rose Byrne who is convincing as one of the main villains in the film. Susan’s mission in Europe is compromised however, when the aggressive agent Rick Ford (Jason Statham) dismisses orders to stay clear from the site and decides to infiltrate the location despite having his cover blown. The interplay between Susan and Rick and between Susan and Rayna are by far the highlight of the film as these actors play off each other extremely well. 

Despite some hilarious scenes involving Statham, McCarthy, and Byrne, Spy misses some marks with a couple of characters. Jude Law is an incredibly talented actor, but I wasn’t a fan of his role here. He might be spoofing James Bond, but it’s Statham who delivers the most laughs poking fun of the macho character he has played during most of his career. It was great to see him back in a comedic role after his initial collaborations with Guy Rithcie (Snatch and Lock, Stock, and two Smoking Barrels). The cameo with 50 Cents was also quite horrendous and forced. Miranda Hart also has an important supporting role as one of Susan’s best friends in the agency, but I wasn’t a particular fan of her character and most of her jokes fell flat. Despite missing the mark at times, Spy is still hilarious when it centers on McCarthy, Statham, and Byrne. The feminist message might be too loud and obvious, but it works extremely well for a genre film where females are often overlooked and reduced to desk jobs. Spy also succeeds at delivering genuine suspense as we follow the hero trying to solve the case. There are memorable action sequences that take place in a kitchen and on a private jet that are incredibly entertaining, and it’s not something you see in spoof films. Spy balances the comedy very well and it delivers the action that espionage films have us accustomed to. I had a lot of fun with it.  


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My Review: The Heat (6/10)

"I'll shut the door on you. You lay down here and put your head in the door. And I'll slam it about 157,000 times."

We've seen the buddy cop comedies played out a million times before over the years, sometimes with great effect like in Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour, or more recently 21 Jump Street, and others it just plays out terribly, like in Cop Out. One thing is for sure, we go into these movies expecting great chemistry from the lead characters. The plot can be ridiculous or over the top, but if the chemistry in the buddy comedy is good then the film is guaranteed to deliver laughs. It doesn't matter if the movie is predictable and follows all the same rules other buddy comedies do, if you have Danny Glover pairing up with Mel Gibson, or Jonah Hill with Channing Tatum you are destined to have a great time. The secret lies in having two completely different people team up and despite not liking each other at first somewhere around the line everything clicks. This genre has been universally accepted and it has worked since the beginning of film. The Heat follows pretty much the same formula we've seen in all these other comedies, except for one thing: Both leads are females. In the last 25 years there has never been a buddy cop comedy with two women as the main characters. Bridesmaids director, Paul Feig, made it possible by pairing the comedic talents of Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. Katie Dippold's script might not be genius, but the two ladies are extremely funny together and deliver several laughs thanks to their great chemistry. Opposites attract, and that formula works once again without being a groundbreaking comedy. It was good to see two strong female leads dominate the box office. Somehow despite not being original, the film felt fresh and McCarthy delivered all the right comedic notes masterfully. And that is coming from someone who has never been a big fan of her work (Identity Theft was horrible and I'm not into Mike and Molly either). If you are looking for an easygoing fun time, then by all means check this film out because there are several scenes that will crack you up.

Sarah Asburn (Sandra Bullock) is an uptight FBI agent who does things by the books. She is great at what she does, but her cocky attitude doesn't help her at making friends. She is sent by her boss, Hale (Demain Bichir) to Boston to find a ruthless drug lord named Larkin who has been eliminating the competition by cutting other drug dealers into pieces. In order to uncover this man's identity Sarah will have to start from the bottom interrogating other small time dealers. The only problem is that the person she wants to question is Shannon Mullins's (Melissa McCarthy) prisoner and she isn't very friendly. Shannon is a foul mouthed police officer that doesn't have much respect for authority. She likes working alone and doesn't want anyone messing with her neighborhood. When Sarah begins interrogating her prisoner, Shannon jumps in and begins defending her territory. Unfortunately both are forced to work together after Hale acknowledges that Sarah could use a partner who knows the territory. Despite wanting to find the man responsible for these crimes, both officers get off on the wrong foot because they are completely different. Sarah does things by the books, while Shannon isn't afraid to use force and intimidation to get what she wants.  

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy working together in a cop comedy is a good reason enough to go see this film. McCarthy is extremely funny here and her character isn't unlikable like in Identity Theft. Here despite being very foul mouthed and disrespectful, she has a good heart and is fighting for all the right reason. Bullock on the other hand plays a very unlikable character at first, but she pulls it off by doing things unintentionally. She really doesn't know she is being cocky or putting other officers to shame, she does things without realizing how hurtful her remarks are. The chemistry between both these characters is what makes this otherwise predictable movie worth watching. The Heat might not be as funny as Feig's previous film, Bridesmaids, but it still is worth watching for the female star power alone. Hollywood doesn't take much risks, but here they managed to bill two actresses as their stars and the risk payed off at the box office. McCarthy proves she has the star power and is becoming a bankable star when given decent material to work with.