Spy is the vehicle that comedienne Melissa McCarthy has been waiting for since her Oscar nominated breakthrough performance in “Bridesmaids.” Spy is McCarthy’s funniest film to date and if you’re ready to go on a globetrotting adventure while laughing along the way, then accept this mission.
CIA Agent Susan Cooper (McCarthy) longs to be out in the field but uses her expertise behind a desk, being the eyes and ears of ravishing field agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law). While they only communicate via earpiece and a contact lens camera, the two make a great team.
All is well until one mission turns Cooper’s world upside down and her best friend is killed in the line of duty. With most of the field agents being known and the mission at hand have been compromised, the agency needs someone who can infiltrate the bad guys without being known in the agency. Armed with her extensive knowledge and a desire to honor her recently departed colleague, Susan volunteers to complete the mission.
Soon, Susan is gearing up to head to Paris to only gather information and report it back to her superiors. Suddenly, we see our mousy, timid agent turn into to a mean mother who packs a wicked punch. While this looks good for Cooper, Agent Rick Ford (Jason Statham) takes the idea of putting a new agent on the field as an insult and decides to leave in a huff.
A brilliant cast, unsurpassed action sequences and a perfect blend of intrigue and farce make Spy a great summer comedy movie. McCarthy literally steals the show in every scene she’s in. In Spy, she plays an everyday person who finds herself in unexpected situations. This sets her up for silly bits and a series of foul-mouthed outbursts that only she could pull off.
Byrne shines as Rayna, the seductress who orders a hit for anyone in her posse who screws up. Byrne adopts a light touch for Rayna but maintains the menacing feel of evil to keep the movie on point. The chemistry between her and McCarthy is amazing.
Who would have known that an action star like Statham would be hilarious by taking his usual British tough shtick and churn out comedy gold in the process? Statham becomes a certifiable anti-hero who spins increasingly bizarre tales of courage and suffering while creating more chaos for McCarthy.
Spy makes the spy world more hilarious, one disguise at a time. This concludes my mission briefing.
FINAL GRADE: B+
About The Author
Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter
I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!
My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.
Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.
As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.
All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.
