Spy movie review

BEST NEW FEATURE

dir. by Paul Feig
The third movie from the potent duo of Melissa McCarthy and writer-director Paul Feig is a hilarious success that contains as many thrills as it does laughs.

Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is a CIA agent who works with field agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) from a computer back at headquarters. However, when Fine is killed during an operation where he was investigating an arms dealer, Cooper volunteers to take his place in that operation. For an actress of McCarthy's reputation, she's thankfully subject to relatively few jokes at the expense of her appearance, and while some jokes still do occur at her expense, very few of them are actually making fun of her weight, instead often focusing on her inexperience in the field, or more accurately, how others perceive her because of it. The funniest instances of this are experienced through Cooper's interactions with Rick Ford (Jason Statham), a rogue spy who's as foolish as he is self-aggrandizing. The two's exchanges, wherein they argue over which of them is jeopardizing the mission, are some of the film's highlights, though the rest of Statham's appearances are just as delightful, thanks to his surly demeanour and his ludicrous stories.

Said stories are the closest the film comes to being a send-up of spy movies, however, as Spy instead goes the route of building the frame of a functional spy film and then filling it with comedy. This is apparent from the opening scenes, where we see Bradley Fine work his way through an operation, boasting all the charisma of the best of Hollywood's secret agents. Law isn't the only actor who gives a charismatic performance, though. As the tension ramps up, McCarthy's performance goes with it, and she is fantastic. Whether she's playing the relatively meek Cooper at her desk job or the far more confident character that surfaces later in the movie, she brings her A-game to the role. The film's spy movie aesthetic even seeps into the cinematography, with angles and shots that build up a very fitting mood of intrigue, and looking great in the process. Other actors, like Miranda Hart as Nancy and Rose Byrne as Rayna are nearly as good, especially the latter, who plays a delightfully over-the-top villain who surpasses even Kingsman's Samuel L. Jackson.

There's never a dull moment, which is in part thanks to Paul Feig's incredibly witty script, but also partially because, as an action film, Spy is actually very enjoyable. The choreography is superb, and the set pieces are consistently exciting when they're not merely hilarious. Especially in the final act, the film gets every bit as exciting as any of its siblings in the genre. There's tense moments, fist fights, and even cool gadgets, though the disguises they're in are kinda gross, as are bits of the comedy. Honestly, there are a few jokes which fall flat, which is perhaps a consequence of having such broad humour, but there is a refined touch in the form of some feminist themes, which showed in a small handful of jokes and a few more moments which touch upon themes of female empowerment. I'm not sure it's quite as strong as some critics have been suggesting, but it's there, and is inevitable just by being a female-led movie in such a masculine genre. 

Spy occasionally suffers from moments of awkwardness, but these often serve to further the aforementioned themes or to build up a character dynamic, as with Ford or Rayna. However, there were still moments where I found myself sighing and cringing a little, especially in moments where McCarthy's character faced some humiliation, or when she had to explain something new in order to hold on to her cover. Still, that became an increasingly small part of the movie as it went on, to the point where it had completely vanished by the end. Although there were some jokes that could be seen as a bit repetitive, it's to the credit of Feig and his actors that they're never dull. 

Spy is both an uproarious comedy and a fantastic action film, boasting great synergy between its stars, possessing excitement and wit in equal measures and even some progressive themes on top of all the fun. It's a film where every piece comes together, and even if it's imperfect, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable sit, and has memorable lines and characters with the potential to endure, even if just for a little. And really, isn't memorable lines what we love most about spy movies?

8/10