Spy

As soon as I heard “Spy” would reunite the blistering “Bridesmaids” duo of writer/director Paul Feig and star Melissa McCarthy, my expectations of the action comedy went through the roof. Now, having seen the film, I’m pleased to report the pair not only matched their amusing first outing together, but possibly even topped it.

In “Spy” McCarthy takes on the role of Susan Cooper, a CIA operative who’s stuck behind her desk while the organisation’s top agents, such as Bradley Fine (Jude Law) and Richard Ford (Jason Statham), are out in the field. But when Fine is killed on mission and his target, Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne), declares she knows the identities of all the CIA’s top agents, it’s time for Susan to don the disguise and go undercover out in the field.

From the amusing opening credits to the final ridiculous helicopter fight scene, “Spy” handles the blend of action and comedy masterfully. Yet again Feig strikes the right balance between the two and spoofs the spy/thriller/action genre brilliantly.

A lot of this success must be also attributed to McCarthy, who proves that she can execute physical comedy as aptly as she can nail the verbal stuff. She also holds her own as a respected plus-sized female comedian in a role which would see most performers lose that sense of self-respect.

In fact, the entire film subtly has a go at typical Hollywood gender politics. McCarthy’s daggy, inept Cooper ends up showing the suave (but predictable) male agents (Law and Statham) how it’s done, while Feig pokes fun at Hollywood’s typical view of women over 30 (you’ll know what I mean when you see Cooper’s cat-lady disguises!) For once, the female characters have more depth and substance than the male characters, with McCarthy and Byrne’s characters and plot lines carrying the story.

Equally outstanding is Miranda Hart, who plays Susan’s best friend and sidekick Nancy. Despite the small role, Hart injects valuable comic moments into a film which is already bolstered by the performances of its renowned stars.

All in all, “Spy” stars a superb Melissa McCarthy backed up by an equally marvellous supporting cast. The movie is witty and entertaining, and it’s truly refreshing to see an action/comedy that gives so much agency to its female characters. Is there a stronger duo than McCarthy and Feig in comedy at the moment? Probably not.

SPY is available on Blu-ray & DVD, September 30. It is available on iTunes, September 16.