Spy (2015)
Cast includes: Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes), Jessica Chaffin (The Heat), Miranda Hart (Call the Midwife), Katie Dippold (The Heat), Rose Byrne (Bridesmaid), Jason Statham (Snatch), Bobby Cannavale (Chef), Sam Richardson (Horrible Bosses 2), Allison Janney (West Wing)
Writer/Director: Paul Feig (The Heat, Bridesmaids)
Genre: Comedy | Action Triller (120 minutes)
Bradley Fine is fine indeed. We watch him negotiate a black tie gathering with the suave of 007. When events get lethal, we watch him land one zinger after another, with the indispensible assistance of the voice in his earpiece… Susan Cooper, who always has Bradley’s back. She works from a rat and bat infested basement CIA command center. Cooper and Fine are a fine team. Cooper will do just about anything for Fine, including picking up his designer suits from the dry cleaners. “You’re the best,” says Fine. When the mission is over, he takes her to a nice dinner. As special thanks, he gives her a little jewel box... a diamond perhaps? ... It’s a pendant in the shape of a cupcake. “You love cakes!” exclaims Fine… obviously pleased with himself for picking the perfect gift for the perfect rotund helper. Susan could never be a real spy. Can you imagine? Chubby Susan in her “lumpy sack dress that doesn’t even have a label.”
“I’m the same boring person I was 4 years ago,” Susan complains to her fellow basement dweller Nancy. Even though she was at the top of her class in spy school, she’ll never be a glamorous super spy like Karen Walker. When Karen orders a drink at the bar, she gets it instantly. When Susan and Nancy order drinks, the bartender doesn’t even hear them. “We just blend in.” Back at the rat and bat infested basement, the CIA team has intersected “chatter”… an atomic weapon on its way to New York in time for the UN session. Bradley and Susan are back on the case. But this time things don’t go so well. There’s some kind of interference, which prevents Susan from seeing what’s going on… until [Bang!] the shot that takes Bradley Fine out of the picture. And to make matters worse, the bad guys now know the identities of all the spies in the network. The team needs a new face… “someone invisible.” Hello. Hello. Hello!!! Invisible Susan finally gets her chance to be a real spy.
But not so fast… fellow spy Rick Ford thinks Susan isn’t up to the job. So Susan not only has to deal with bad guys, she also has to keep the good guys from gumming up the works. And she has to do all this with a really shabby cover story and a pathetic packet of spy toys. How come the super spies get all the cool stuff, and Susan gets stool softener? Spy is everything you could want from a summer movie. It has the look and feel of a James Bond film, including the stylish opening credits, great locations and the elegant (and excellent) cast. Melissa McCarthy not only masters the big laughs, but thanks to an excellent script, her part has lots of chuckle moments sprinkled throughout. What does a plus-size gal have to do to get some respect? After saving the day again and again, she’s barely holding on to her job. “Mam,” she says to her boss. “I’m not one to toot my own horn, but I’m going to toot.” Never mind, they aren’t listening.
4 popped kernels
Agent Cooper challenges the notion that you can’t be a real spy unless you’re glamorous and British
Popcorn Profile
Rated: R (Language, Violence, Crime)
Audience: Young Adults
Gender Style: Bold
Distribution: Mainstream Wide Release
Mood: Jubilant
Tempo: Zips Right Along
Visual Style: High-End Production
Nutshell: James Bond spoof
Language: Irreverent
