Movie review: ‘Spy’

FloridaGator80

With both iconic and legendary international spy movies, “James Bond” is the gold standard when it comes to big-screen, save-the-world espionage adventure. Many have tried and most have failed when it comes to measuring up to “007” at the theater. However, one of the winners in this kind of genre is the surprisingly wonderful effort from Melissa McCarthy in “Spy.” You’ll find it all here: International city hopping; big time fights; car chases; and, of course, all the gadgets that real spies never really see – and it’s all with a very unique star. So, check out “Spy” if you haven’t seen it or take part of an evening and watch it again. It’s truly worth it.

‘Spy’
(2015; 119 minutes; rated R; directed by Paul Feig and starring Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law and Jason Statham)

007 WASN’T THIS GOOD DROPPING F-BOMBS!

(NOTE: I expanded this review with additional opinion and trivia and the updating of links on April 11, 2025.)

Melissa McCarthy is the most unlikely international master of fighting and espionage that you will ever see. However, despite her bulk, McCarthy pulls it off with aplomb and verve in “Spy” and also manages to deliver sensational potty-mouth, sarcastic humor right along with some kicks, punches and shots. Best of all, she’s fun to watch on screen and that counts for a lot in this day an age of Hollywood dreck.

In “Spy,” McCarthy is deskbound analyst “Susan Cooper,” who is the eyes and ears through technology for James Bond-ian operative “Bradley Fine,” played by Jude Law. He’s in the field in a tux and takes on the bad guys with McCarthy feeding him intel via video and audio links. The two are a powerful CIA team in tackling a mission to stop the sale of a portable nuclear device bound for the United States, until Law makes a fatal mistake on a mission.

Moving forward, of course, McCarthy, who it turns out was at one time an aggressive agent-in-training and is now a full-fledged agent, is sent into the field to only watch and report. Right. It doesn’t take her long to get into the action and she holds her own both physically and verbally – she drops F-bombs like she was making a Martin Scorsese flick and working next to Joe Pesci.

McCarthy also does characters well. She’s given different identities as she goes along her mission and never gets the continental type name she would like. She gets boring names and Kmart ensembles, including one with a blouse with a big photo of a cat, before breaking out on her own and the movie takes off and leaves those persona behind.

“Spy” does one fight scene between McCarthy and a bad guy extremely well. She chases him to the top floor of a building, where they lock horns. McCarthy kicks some serious ass in the fight (and I’m not sure how much was done by a stunt double) and then the comedy is added as she looks down at his body, vomits on it and then drops a knife from eight or so stories above into his throat. I know you never saw that in a “James Bond” film! Super scene, Melissa!

Another impressive thing about “Spy” is that it moves smoothly from scene-to-scene (really, city-to-city) in a logical progression that keeps the film moving. It’s not just one smash cut after another to segue to a new action sequence. It’s also a story well-told and the sharp notes of sarcasm from a variety of characters give “Spy” its own identity.

“Spy” has a big cast and the characters move in and out quickly, but the core of the principal cast is what makes the film. Here’s a look at some of their work:

  • A two-time Oscar nominee (not for this one) and two-time Golden Globe nominee (one for “Spy”), McCarthy has that most important trait for an actor: Watchability. She just cruises what appears to be effortlessly through each scene and it takes time for you to realize just how much she evolves her character from a supporting to a leading role. By the end, she’s in a commanding mode just about all the time, but without losing herself into this new territory. McCarthy got a big break with TV’s “Mike & Molly” and she’s on a tear in Hollywood with “Bridesmaids” (one Oscar nomination), “The Heat” and the simply putrid remake of “Ghostbusters” – and all were with “Spy” director Paul Feig. McCarthy has moved somewhat quietly to Hollywood’s A-list (or at least B+) and was also in “Tammy” and “The Boss.” She’s won two Primetime Emmys – one for work on “Saturday Night Live” and the other for “Mike & Molly.” Her other Oscar and Globe nominations are for “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
  • A two-time Oscar nominee (not for this one) and four-time Golden Globe nominee (not for this one), Law is the good-looking, sharp-dressing, ass-kicking CIA agent who gets the job done until … well, watch the film. Although a “big name” here, Law doesn’t really do much to elevate his character. I guess I expected a bit more from him, but it just never shows through. He did much better in the World War II film “Enemy at the Gates” (click here to read my review) and has been in “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Sherlock Holmes” and “The Road to Perdition” with Tom Hanks. He was nominated for “Cold Mountain” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley” for both Oscars and Globes.
  • I was most surprised at the outstanding effort from Oscar winner and five-time Golden Globe nominee (not for this one) Allison Janney as “Elaine Crocker,” who is McCarthy’s boss at the CIA. Janney, who does simply terrific work on TV’s “Mom,” takes the fore in every scene she’s in and manages to pull it all off without a flaw. That’s not easy work in this kind of film, where her character could have all too easily gotten lost. Janney has been in the critically acclaimed films “American Beauty” and “Juno” as well having voiced in “Finding Nemo.” Her Oscar was for “I, Tonya” about the infamous ice skater and nominations for Globes are for TV work including four for “The West Wing” and the other for “Mom.” Janney is also a seven-time winner and eight other nominations for Primetime Emmys (most for “The West Wing” and “Mom”)
  • A two-time Golden Globe nominee (not for this one), Rose Byrne plays the film’s biggest villain “Rayna Boyanov.” She’s the daughter of a bad guy who exits the film early. Byrne plays it as an ice-queen with a potty-mouth nearly the equal of McCarthy. If she had less screen time, I wouldn’t have given her more than a passing grade. However, she maintains solid work from beginning to end and conveys her character very well. You simply can’t ask an actor to do more. Byrne is another alumnus of “Bridesmaids” and has been in a variety of work including TV such as the critically acclaimed “Portlandia” as well as films such as “Neighbors” and “Get Him to the Greek.” She was nominated for Globes as well as Primetime Emmys for TV’s “Damages.”
  • Miranda Hart plays “Nancy B. Artingstall” and she works with McCarthy like Melissa did with Law – she is the voice in McCarthy’s ear as she goes on the mission. Hart is extremely effective as the needs-some-confidence friend and colleague who manages to elevate her character as the film goes along. She is solid, too, in some of the physical comedy and is interesting each time she’s in a scene. At 6-foot-1, she towers over most of the cast. She had her own self-titled TV series “Miranda” of only 20 episodes from 2009-2015 and much of her resume is credits from TV shows.
  • Jason Statham has the most over-the-top character in “Rick Ford.” He loves telling people how tough he is as an agent (such as driving a car while on fire – he was on fire, that is) and is not only politically incorrect with comments and just does a rapid-fire castigation of anyone speaking to him. Statham does the blustering role very well and I would have liked to see more of him throughout the movie. He could have held his own with McCarthy at all times and the clip at the ending credits of him and Melissa is just icing on the cake. Statham is probably best known for “The Transporter” franchise also with “Snatch,” “Crank” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” I liked him in the remake of “The Italian Job” (click here to read my review) and he’s been in “The Beekeeper” (click here to read my review); the tepid reboot of “The Mechanic” (click here to read my review); and the unfortunate steaming pile of shark film called “The Meg” (click here to read my review) and its sequel.
  • Finally, the most delightful turn here is by Peter Serafinowicz, who plays the over-sexed “Aldo,” who is an agent supporting McCarthy on the job. Serafinowicz looks like he’s having a fun time making all the sexual comments and he’s very good at it. He actually takes a different persona at the end – an Englishman – but you just don’t know if he’s lying again. Serafinowicz was also in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the tremendous zombie flick “Shaun of the Dead” (click here for my review) and more than two dozen credits on TV shows.

Much of the supporting cast does a very solid job of keeping the film on track and are worth mentioning, but I just don’t want to take the time to mention each one. There isn’t any one actor who manages to elevate his or her character to the point they deserve special mention. Still, it’s a great group and they do a wonderful job.

Director Paul Feig, who also wrote “Spy,” and McCarthy are an item as I’ve already mentioned how they’ve worked together on several films. Feig does a really good job with “Spy,” which would have been all too easy to fumble in the action-adventure field. Feig has more acting credits (48) than directing credits (23), but I’d say he works better behind the camera – I haven’t see much of his work and in a variety of films he has a very small role.

Internet sources from 2024 noted: “The absence of a ‘Spy’ sequel seems especially baffling from the perspective of Statham’s career, in which ‘Spy’ remains the most commercially successful title that’s yet to receive a sequel.” I just don’t see a major franchise from “Spy” in the vein of the “James Bond” films. It’s not that McCarthy doesn’t have the acting chops to pull it off, just that I don’t see twenty or more films about her doing the “Spy” thing.

“Spy” was the 27th ranked film at U.S. theaters in 2015 with $110.8 million in ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo. It was made on a budget of $65 million and has made $235.7 million worldwide, according to Wiki. While “Spy” did OK at the box office, it lagged far, far behind (just like all others) in ’15 to the No. 1 film: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” with its nearly $1 billion haul ($936.6 million to be exact). Trailing in second with a huge $652.2 million was “Jurassic World” – click here for my review. Here are the other films from 2015 that I’ve reviewed for my blog:

Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):

  • Law’s full name is David Jude Heyworth Law; Janney’s middle name is Brooks; Hart’s full name is Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke; and Serafinowicz’s middle name is Szymon.
  • Feig has been quoted as saying he’s a fan of Statham’s action flicks and crafted the character of “Rick Ford” after Statham’s work in the other films.
  • A photo of Justine “Family Ties” Bateman, sister of Jason “Horrible Bosses” Bateman, appears in a mug book that’s examined during the film. Click here for my review of “Horrible Bosses” …
  • Ben Falcone, who is married to McCarthy, has a small part as a tourist asking for directions.
  • Directly from IMDb.com: “Filipino Martial Arts are used for the movie’s fight scenes. Melissa McCarthy was trained in Kali by Diana Lee Inosanto.”
  • The film features an Aston Martin car, which is “James Bond’s” most famous vehicle.
  • Finally and directly from IMDb.com: “The film’s production designer Jefferson Sage has said of filming in the capital city of Hungary: ‘Budapest usually only cheats for other places, but when Paul Feig scouted the city he was so impressed he changed most of the story to take place here – much in the way he decided to let Boston play itself instead of doubling for New York in The Heat (2013). Budapest has grandeur and a nice mix of architectural styles, along with an Eastern European exoticism that lends a wonderful mystique to the story.’”
  • Click here for IMDb.com’s extensive trivia page about the movie “Spy” …

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