Her break out big-screen role was Megan, the idiosyncratic sister of the groom in Bridesmaids (2011). Writer/director Paul Feig does a tremendous job of flipping the chauvinistic tropes of the spy genre in a playful yet deliberate way, delivering strong female leads, daggy spy gadgets and authentic chemistry between compatriots and enemies alike.When Identity Thief was released, McCarthy was best known for crafting adorable, quirkily likeable characters for the small screen in Gilmore Girls (2000-07) and Mike & Molly (2010-16). Disobedience: Rachels Weisz and McAdams bring a forbidden love back to life Ford brags constantly about his methods for surviving treacherous feats, each tale getting more and more outlandish. Together they end up trading feisty barbs like an old married couple. Poking fun at his macho, action-hero persona, Statham lands some of the biggest laughs in the film.įord is thoroughly unimpressed by the inexperienced Cooper taking on the undercover assignment, and gruffly decides to shadow her mission.
Photograph: TCD/Prod DB/Alamyīut the big surprise packet is the comedic turn by tough guy Jason Statham as rogue agent Rick Ford. Sparring partners: Rose Byrne and Melissa McCarthy. With her posh demeanour and a permanent look of disdain, Byrne’s villain is quick with an insult and a withering glance, her savage commentary making her the perfect sparring partner for Cooper and her profanity-laden insults.
Reuniting with McCarthy is her Bridesmaids co-star Rose Byrne, who plays the deliciously deviant arms dealer Rayna Boyanov. Jude Law has way too much fun as a suave American super spy, leaning into every stereotype with a knowing glint in his eyes. McCarthy shines in an ensemble cast that includes Miranda Hart and Allison Janney, with each collaborator bringing their comedic big guns to the armoury. McCarthy elicits the biggest laughs from her physical comedy, including some less-than-perfectly-executed stunts. While Cooper is polite, anxious and reserved, her spy alter ego evolves into someone cunning, agile and ruthless. McCarthy gets to showcase the breadth of her comic abilities as she assumes different aliases and becomes embroiled in the high-stakes world of global assassins, private jets and double-crosses. Sort Of: big-hearted Canadian show puts diverse, non-binary characters front and centre Realising Cooper’s anonymity is her greatest asset, she is vaulted from the bat-infested basement into a world of undercover espionage. While tracking the sale of a nuclear weapon, the CIA becomes compromised and the secret identities of their active agents exposed. Despite the Bond-sounding musical score and flourishing opening credits, a comical mishap quickly lets the audience know this is not your typical spy film. The meek and mild Cooper is perfectly content with monitoring high-tech surveillance and being the spy equivalent of a guardian angel GPS, feeding vital information via a hidden earpiece to her partner in the field, super-agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law). Melissa McCarthy stars in the criminally underrated 2015 action-comedy Spy, playing desk-bound CIA analyst Susan Cooper.