Spy is the feel-good movie you’ve been looking for

Spy is a good, light and frothy piece for summer entertainment. It was tailored to fit Melissa McCarthy’s unique talents and she drove the plot the whole way. The biggest surprise was Jason Statham, not known for his comic ability. He was a good fit for the role of a hothead who goes off at the slightest hint of provocation.

The plot centers around the idea of McCarthy as hapless schmuck turned undercover agent and Jude Law is suave and charming in his supporting role of a super sleuth that McCarthy is fixated upon. Jason Statham and Jude Law are mere sideshows, but the heart and soul of the script belong to McCarthy.

She finally finds some comic material that compliments her ability to deliver the cut grivatas  and her trademark delivery of asides (mostly self-deprecating humor) that is a constant throughout the movie. Another plus is the hilarious disguises that are ignominiously heaped upon her in lieu of the more dashing and “sexy” style of her mentor Jude Law.

The best of comics are the ones that can turn the humor around and manage to amuse us as they are amused by the rest of the world whizzing by. That is the one standout in an otherwise fairly innocuous comic outing. And, as I’ve often stated, Melissa McCarthy is a huge talent who has not been graced with really good material that suits her stand-up style in past films. This time, they wrote something that actually fits her like a glove. It works for her and it makes for a light and entertaining feel-good summer movie.