Spy ? 5 out of 5
Spy comedies are nothing new. There?s been a few of them and they often
vary in the quality department. However,
when I heard that a writer/director I really enjoy; Paul Feig (the man who is,
according to people of the internet, super evil because he?s being the
Ghostbusters reboot?the remake that, also according to people on the internet,
will erase all memories and copies of the original film due to the lack of
dicks in the story), was creating a spy comedy with a comedic actress I really
enjoy; Melissa McCarthy, I was very excited but never got the opportunity to
see it until it came out on Home Media (but that?s because of my own spy stuff
I had to do?but don?t look too much into that because I might have to kill you
if you learn too much?or give you a stern talking to and have you pinky swear
you know nothing about my job).
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| But if you tell anyone, I will threaten you by vigorously shaking my fists. |
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| Jude is here to lay down some law...I'm truly sorry for that one. |
Spy tells the story of CIA analyst Susan Cooper (Melissa
McCarthy) hitting the field after the agent she works with; Bradley Fine (Jude
Law), is murdered while on operative must try to find a suitcase nuke that?s in a
location known only by the daughter of an international terrorist (Rose
Byrne)?who, just so happens to be, the same person who killed Fine. However, along the way, Cooper must compete
with an irritate and rambunctious agent who keeps mucking things up (played by
Jason Statham). Now Cooper must find the
location of the nuke before it?s sold to the highest bidder and is unleashed on
the world and avenge her friend?s death.
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| It's hard to make killing a man funny but Feig and McCarthy did so and made it look so easy. |
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| Bobby Cannavale is in the film...and seems to be rocking some guyliner. |
I figured that Spy would be funny because I?m a fan of Paul
Feig and Melissa McCarthy but I don?t think I was prepared for exactly how
funny it was going to be. The story is
incredible solid and build on a foundation that creates a decent spy thriller
with surprisingly good action but, at the same time, does a great job of poking
fun at the genre. The cast is incredible
and a fantastic mix of proven funny-makers like McCarthy and other actors not
necessarily known for comedies but all doing an amazing job of bringing the
laughs?for example, Jason Statham was absolutely hysterical as he played a
slapstick-y and goofy character that I?ve never ever seen him play before. Finally, the comedy is unrelenting and gags
and jokes are coming at you fast and nonstop.
Everything from simple jokes that rib spy and action film clich?s to
slapstick humor to gross out jokes to more vulgar insult based lines litter almost every
second of the film and it had me laughing so hard and so often that I was
brought to tears every few minutes and found myself actually exhausted from how
much I laughed. I slept like a baby that night.
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| Every time I see Rose Byrne is in a comedy, I always try to convince myself she won't be funny but I'm always wrong. I really need to end this ridiculous preconceived notion. |
I have a lot of friends who aren?t fans of McCarthy because
they see her as a one trick pony who only does films that involve her falling
down and making cracks about her being fat (yet, when Chris Farley made this
his career, it was considered brilliant?but I won?t get into the systemic
sexism of comedy and the entertainment business here) but while those gags can
be seen in the film on an occasion (and they are funny), this film also makes
fun of those tropes with jokes about McCarthy not wanting to be seen that way
and gags about her actually being a true badass. Some characters want to light her up as the
funny fat person but her character is actually a dedicated agent who wants to
do a good job and is actually really handy with a gun and in a fight. In fact, this film even does one better by
making her be the tough one and having the man who usually is doing the fighting
(Jason Statham) be the one who messes up and falls down. It?s honestly some immensely brilliant comedy
writing and just another reason that I am such a fan of Paul Feig and his
work?and, just to incite the rage of the internet, I?m excited as hell for his
Ghostbusters reboot. Yes, hate me for
not hating a film that hasn?t even been released in trailer form yet. I know it?s weird that I?m excited for
something rather than hating it based entirely on casting decisions alone. I?m a rarity on the ?net.
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| Yes, that man is Jason Statham...and the look actually works for him. |
Any complaints I have about the film are minor and involve a
couple of missteps in the story.
Occasionally, a plot point felt superfluous and unneeded but it never
took away from the immensely entertaining experience. And sure, there was a joke or two where I
laughed very slightly less hard than other times but, seriously, from beginning
to end I was laughing my ass off to this film and was intensely entertained.
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| The longer you stare at the look on McCarthy's face the funnier this screenshot gets. |
Paul Feig wrote and crafted a spy comedy that takes itself
seriously enough to look like a legit spy film (seriously, the action in this
film is really, really good) but, at the same time, balanced itself out with
some of the best humor I?ve seen in a film this year. Spy is definitely one of those comedies that
I will turn to repeatedly in the future because it is just that well
put-together and just that hysterical.
And, if it?s not asking too much, I would very much love to see this
turn into a regular franchise and see more wild and funny adventures of Susan
Cooper. I'll consider it a personal favor, Mr. Feig.
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