Melissa McCarthy is Sexy, Funny and Saves the Day in ‘Spy’

Sandra Miska

In our previous article about “Spy,” we posed the question, can Melissa McCarthy kick ass? After a viewing of her latest film, which is filled with just as much action as it is laughs, we are happy to report that yes, she most definitely can.

When we first meet McCarthy’s Susan Cooper, she is at her desk in the basement of the CIA headquarters, a space so dingy that bats fall from the ceiling; eventually leading to Susan’s catching a super-gross case of bat poop-induced pink eye.  Susan’s handsome James Bond-esque partner Bradley Fine (Jude Law) may be the one who gets to go out and chase bad guys, but Susan is his eyes and ears at home, using high-tech equipment to guide him through dangerous situations.  The tears flow early on when Bradley is killed by a ruthless Bulgarian villain, Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne).  Susan witnesses this through Fine’s eyepiece, and to add salt on the wound, the evil Rayna speaks to her unseen partner and brags, revealing she knows the identities of all the CIA’s top agents.

Because she is not known to Rayna and has gone through proper field training (a hilarious video of her at CIA school shows her skillfully taking out dummy intruders), Susan is able to convince big boss Elaine (Allison Janney) to let her travel to Europe and bring down Rayna.  Rayna is in possession of a nuke, but that’s not what’s important. The mission is about Susan proving herself and avenging her love. One person who is unhappy is blowhard Agent Rick Ford (Jason Stratham) who makes the crazy suggestion that he change his identity using a “face-off machine” and take on the mission himself.  He quits after being denied and goes rogue, which makes for some hilarious run-ins with Susan in Europe.

Remarkably, no jokes in “Spy” are made at the expense of McCarthy’s weight, which should silence those critics who say that she is only funny because of her looks. Sure, a lot of humor is derived from Susan’s being a forty-something single woman (some of the funniest moments revolve around the ridiculous fake identities the agency givers her, i.e. crazy cat lady/Mary Kay saleswoman). However, McCarthy proves she can be sexy as well as funny. One minute she’s made up at a formal event, the next she’s barfing over the corpse of a bad guy who died a gruesome death.

Her love for a man may be what motivates Susan, but at the end of the day, “Spy” is all about female empowerment. There’s no denying writer/director Paul Feig knows how to write for funny women, especially McCarthy, from whom he previously coaxed out her breakthrough performance in “Bridesmaids.” Susan’s spunky co-worker Nancy (Miranda Hart) serves as her eyes and ears back at home and eventually joins her on the field, helping Susan and becoming a protégée of sorts.  Even Rayna has her moments when you can’t help admiring her. Because her father never had the son her wanted, Rayna has to work extra hard to prove herself as the heir to his evil empire. She and Susan oddly bond in their own way.  Posing as her bodyguard, the CIA agent earns the villain’s respect by constantly insulting her, (“You smell like a dead hooker who washed up on the beach and roasted in the sun!”).

Rounding out the hilarious cast of characters is English actor Peter Serafinowicz as Susan’s Italian guide Aldo, from whose advances she is constantly fighting; even when they are tied up and facing death he doesn’t miss an opportunity to let he know he’s down to bang. “Spy” also features hysterical cameos from Michael McDonald as a CIA agent in charge of giving Susan cool accessories such as chloroform disguised as hemorrhoid wipes, 50 Cent as himself and an object of Nancy’s lust, and McCarthy’s husband Ben Falcone as a tourist looking for KFC at the worse possible time.

“Spy” infiltrates theaters June 5.