Spy Hilarious Spy Movie Parody Not The Generic Bland Movie Its Title Indicates

Prior to Spy, Melissa McCarthy might have been the most popular actor working to never play the leading role of a good movie. She was fine in supporting roles like St. Vincent or Bridesmaids, but as soon as she was given the reigns, we got awful, awful movies like Identity Thief or Tammy. Now, though, she can finally claim to have been the lead of a good movie, even though she’s still not the best or funniest part of it. In fact, in Spy, she’s outshone by almost everyone else … despite McCarthy also being really funny. Spy has such a wealth of talent that both of these things can be true. The story of Spy, much like the title, is incredibly simple. Susan Cooper (McCarthy) is the desk-bound handler for CIA agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law), and they work well together. But after Fine is found and killed by Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne), the daughter of someone with access to nuclear bombs, she’s sent into the field. The idea, we’re told, is that Boyanov knows the identity of all the major agents, so they need to use someone nobody would know. Cooper is tasked solely with providing surveillance, but soon finds herself way out of her comfort zone as she infiltrates Boyanov’s inner circles – more often than not advancing unwittingly. Given that Spy is a Paul Feig movie, I probably shouldn’t even need to mention that it’s overlong. Much like Judd Apatow, Feig doesn’t seem to understand that comedy can easily overstay its welcome, and most comedies do not deserve to run for two hours or longer. Spy, largely because its plot is ripping off a generic spy movie, doesn’t suffer from this quite as much as, say, Bridesmaids, but it’s still probably about 20 minutes too long. It’s rarely boring, but by the end you begin to tire of it and just want it to end. How successful is Spy? It gets 50 Cent into a movie, playing himself, and does so in a way that can make you laugh. 50 Cent has tried actual acting over the last few years, but this might be his best role, and he’s only in it for something like two scenes. In supporting roles, Miranda Hart, Allison Janney, and Bobby Cannavale also get a few great moments each. Sure, Byrne, Statham, and McCarthy get the absolute best scenes and lines, but most of the primary supporting cast members do well, too. Except Peter Serafinowicz, of course. Bottom Line: Intentionally generically titled, Spy is a very funny movie that finally gives Melissa McCarthy a good movie to lead. This is Paul Feig’s best and funniest movie to-date, and outside of a couple of misguided gags, is a riot throughout. Recommendation: You can see a terrible comedy like Hot Pursuit or an incredibly funny one like Spy. It’s your choice. [rating=3.5]