Spy

By: Robert Murphy

The world of being a super spy with a license to kill would definitely draw in anyone but we often forget that there are plenty of people working behind the scenes that make these spies the lethal players that they’re out in the field. This fact is exceedingly true for one Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) who joined the CIA to go on crazy adventures and get some excitement in her life only to end up in a vermin infested basement staring at a computer screen all day. She does however get to act as eyes and ears for one of the agencies top operatives Bradley Fine (Jude Law) and mostly does the brunt of the work while he spots out James Bond era one liners. This is until he gets taken out by the daughter of a notorious arms dealer Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne) who knows the identities of all the CIA’s current agents working in the field. It is then up to Cooper to take up the task of taking out this new threat before she unleashes a small portable nuke and get revenge for her torrid romantic interest and former team member.

McCarthy is proving to be a comedic force to be reckoned in the past few years with movies and TV shows alike which happily continues forward in Spy. Her character Susan Cooper is a soft spoken woman who wishes more than anything for people to notice her especially Fine who treats her like a buddy/errand girl rather than someone he actually notices. This translates over well in a number of scenarios throughout the first half of the story where McCarthy’s not the standard spy appearance takes a bit of a hit. Her fellow agents in the field get glamorous cars and gadgets disguised as pens of regular items where Cooper gets a grab bag of items disguised as items a middle aged woman would have in her bag. Items like stool softeners and hemorrhoid wipes get thrown into the mix but what’s worse is probably her not so appealing alter egos who included an ageing cat mommy and a divorced mother of three from Iowa. There is definitely no fancy tuxedo suits here as Cooper suffers the indignity of a old lady wig and sweater with a cat on it but she takes it all in stride.   

The dynamic changes up for her though near the halfway mark for the film as she must improvise her way out of ridiculous situations that were mostly caused by the rogue Rick Ford (Jason Statham) but it helps her finally gain some back bone. Cooper’s new persona is more of the badass spy character that she always dreamed of and it was secretly locked away inside her all along. This is where the action scenes start to pick up and it is wonderfully balanced with the scripts many comedic aspects. Cooper gets involved in a high speed chase but it is less impressive on a scooter and also gets into an impressively choreographed scene in a kitchen where she wields a frying pan in a knife fight. She even gets her very own eyes and ears as her friend Nancy (Miranda Hart) tries to lend a hand through her spy situations but ends up acting like a giddy house wife over the glitz and glamour which leaves Cooper completely exasperated. It is however a nice twist to the situation and really adds to the rich comedy gold present throughout Spy.

McCarthy doesn’t take all the credit, while she truly brings to life all of the jokes at her expense and the ridiculous action scenes she is also accompanied by some great supporting characters. Statham who I mentioned earlier is a completely ridiculous character this time around. He would normally make the perfect spy and has certainly proven his worth as an action hero countless times before but now his character has more bark than bite. His character doesn’t think that Cooper is up to the task and will screw everything up but she ends up saving him on countless occasions as he makes a mess of every situation he is put in. We then have Aldo (Peter Serafinowicz) who is a fellow agent that is stationed in Europe to help Cooper out in her mission but ends up being a ridiculous womanizer. He is constantly going on about how attractive Cooper is, even in her old lady and divorced mother disguises. The two have hilarious go betweens including a scene where he attempts to free her from her hands from rope by biting at them and ending up in a bizarre position with Cooper.

Things do start to become a grind though with all the stunts and exploits for the film. There are countless action throwbacks at nods to the audience that make a point to show that this is a spy film. Events like a private plane shoot out that leads to the plane spiraling out of control or a big club scene that features 50 Cent which aren't bad moments for the story but after awhile it bogs things down and there are plenty of scenes like it. I appreciated all of the moments that make Spy feel like the classic spy movies that I’ve scene over the years but one or two moments like that will do the trick not four or five.

Melissa McCarthy takes everything that is thrown at her and keeps on going in Spy. Her character Cooper plays a shy pencil pusher one minute and then completely transforms into a tough CIA operative with a mouth the next. McCarthy also is accompanied by some incredible supporting actors and actresses that add to this spy comedy experience. In the end, espionage has never looked quite so ridiculous but that’s certainly a good thing.

Good:

- Melissa McCarthy continues her comedic hot streak

- A great supporting cast

- Fast paced action mixed perfectly with quick witted comedy

Bad:

- A bit bogged down with the amount of spy references

Scully Rating: 8.0 out of 10  

Tammy

By: Robert Murphy 

Do you ever have one of those days where absolutely nothing goes right? From the minute you wake up you were destined to have a crap storm of a bad day and that's what we open on in Tammy as Melissa McCarthy's foul mouthed, brash and over inflated brand of character returns for another go. Tammy is about to blindsided with a series of bad luck events that included losing her job, hitting a deer and being cheated on by her long time husband to name a few. This leads her to storm off out of town to get away from all the bad that has happened and the only way she can do that is with her grandmother, Pearl (Susan Sarandon) by her side and her chunk of cash she has in her pocket. The two set off together on an adventure to get out and live free before one of their times is up and the other wants to do what we all want to do at times and that's scream "SCREW YOU" to the world and have a good time. 

We have seen this sort of ill mannered character from Melissa McCarthy before as she has become a master of the role in other films the past few years in Identity Thief and The Heat. This isn't to say this a bad thing because it frankly works and McCarthy is sometimes such a hard read as an actress that it can feel different each time even though you know the film was made for her brand of character. As her character and Pearl set off on their journey together, you can't help but notice and undeniable spark between the two and how their on screen chemistry works quite well. Sarandon's character Pearl is an alcoholic/diabetic ball of delight who is incredibly charming even under the grey wig and make up that try and make her older. Add in a little Tammy mix to that with her spunky and loud attitude and you do find a recipe for success but it works for only a quick one liner or two and a few outrageous events. While Sarandon "co-stars" as the films sidekick, she doesn't gain all the main drive as McCarthy does and when the film lulls and falters, you are left staring at the screen with her being the only one on it. 

Hidden in the midst of McCarthy lime light though, there are a surprising number of other compelling actors and actresses who sneak some screen time out of Tammy. Pearl happens to meet a love interest at one of the road trip stops along the way, gentleman rancher Randy (Gary Cole) created some more appeal to keep watching. The twos hook up also makes way for the stale romance of Tammy and Randy's son Bobby (Mark Duplass) as the two flirt at various points throughout the film. I didn't mind that Bobby would show up at various random times through the film and in fact I loved him as a character but he was vastly underwritten and was part of many of the films lulling moments with Tammy. Other crazy events transpire that lead to Pearl needing to call up an old time friend for help, a no nonsense Leanor (Kathy Bates.) Pearl and Tammy seek refuge with her and her lesbian partner Susan (Sandra Oh) which later leads to an all out 4th of July raging party with some jet-ski burning and alcoholic rants for some added tension. 

Tammy as a character is the perfect way to describe Tammy the film, a mess of ideas and one trick stunts to try and distract you from the fact that you just watch something with no plot to it. Pearl and Tammy do have an initial plan in mind at the beginning of the film but it gets lost in a clump of ideas and stories that were included in the story along the way. McCarthy is still pretty funny and I'm not saying you won't laugh at what you see but her one trick pony act may be coming to end as there won't be too many more ways you can sell this angle for too long. Sarandon, Bates, Duplass and other side characters are a delight though and I deeply enjoyed their stories, I just wish that there was more of their story to go around when the end credits roled.

Good:

- McCarthy still is funny and still proves she can use her brand of character once more

- Sarandon provides some much needed help for the films low moments

- A great cast of side characters

Bad:

- Very erratic story telling

- Tries to fluff up the lack of story with a series of one liners and stunts

- I don't think McCarthy should have outshined everyone, I believe she needs to stick to the role of side kick with her brand of character 

Scully Rating: 5.0 out of 10