Spy

Bradley Fine (Jude Law) has infiltrated a villa in Budapest in search of a nuclear bomb in the possession of Tihomir Boyanov.  After sneaking into the basement level, he gets the drop on Boyanov and demands that he reveal the location of the nuke.  Boyanov dismisses Fine's threats, declaring he is the only person who knows where it is so he dare not shoot.  Fine suddenly sneezes, accidently shooting Boyanov in the head.

"What did you do that for?" Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) demands.  She is sitting at a computer in the United States observing his every action and giving him intel.  His escape is engineered by Susan as she walks him through enemies and arranges a timely airstrike to cover his retreat.  It is quite clear that he views her as a valued secretary while she has a crush on him.  With Boyanov dead, the only hope is that his daughter, Rayna, (Rose Byrne) might know where the nuke is.  Fine goes in and is killed!  Moreover, it is revealed that all agents have been compromised.  Susan offers to go into the field.  And the hilarity commences.

Generally, I have found McCarthy to be mostly grating and irritating when I have seen her.  I could not watch all of Identity Thief, found her annoying and unconvincing in The Heat.  She was extremely forgettable in St. Vincent.  In Spy, she has found her role.  I very much enjoyed her various unflattering cover identities, laughed at her exchanges with Jason Statham, loved when she browbeat Anton, and liked the hostile repartee between her and Rose Byrne.  It reminded me a lot of Get Smart with Steve Carell.

Rick Ford (Jason Statham) is horrified that the 'lunch lady' is being sent in the field instead of him.  He quits the CIA in protest.  However, Susan repeatedly encounters him in the field and frequently finds herself saving his life.  Statham proves to be surprisingly funny as an over-the-top parody of himself.

 

There are a few bits that fall flat.  Nancy (Miranda Hart) loomed a bit too large as Susan's awkward sidekick.  Still, it was mostly goofy fun with some surprisingly entertaining action.  Melissa McCarthy, action star?  Yeah, in this film.  And it worked.