Spy (Paul Feig)

[Henry Gale]

http://36.media.tumblr.com/f3e8f9bf157543bf3ee2ee396ead5e 9b/tumblr_nm4dc4PBpC1r2zmajo1_128 0.jpg

IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3079380/) / Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_%282015_film%29)

[Henry Gale]

Less generic than its title (it was called "Susan Cooper" at one point, but that would've been slightly discernible), consistently funnier and more tightly crafted than The Heat (the lack of a stiff, laugh draining Bullock helps), plot-wise made up of things that have definitely been done before, and Bridesmaids still remains the strongest script in Feig's big-screen canon -- which for a director that lacks much visual gusto (even with a cinematographer like Robert Yeoman at his disposal) seems to be what matters most next to his instincts for humour and casting -- but that all doesn't mean this doesn't end up feeling really worthwhile, even if it's only mildly hilarious most of the time.

It's a little vanilla in its sensibilities, but sometimes comedy doesn't need to make a rebellious effort to colour too far out of the conventional lines, it just needs to set its parameters with capable players and deliver on those terms. It doesn't have much bite outside of the content of its jokes and even some very R-rated action, but it does what it does well, especially with a cast that includes McCarthy more likable than I've found her since, I dunno, maybe Gilmore Girls (so basically, picture if Sookie St. James was an ass-kicking badass), Rose Byrne as on-point as ever, Allison Janney in way too small of a role, and Jason Statham as its incredible surprise MVP as an absolute (intentional) comedic revelation.

Seriously, there were times I almost wish Feig would've broken his female lead-role staple for his recent comedies and just have Statham be as much of a lead as McCarthy here. He kills basically every significant line or physical gag he's given, and overall made me laugh all on his own more than most movies period. There are times he goes off with runs of what feel like series of improv'd alternate lines strung together that are sometimes derided as lazy in these types of comedies that still find enough alts to make up long Line-O-Rama's on their Blu-rays, but as they get increasingly insane with his complete, unflinching, trademark Statham conviction, I realized I could watch them endlessly.

But Statham aside, the movie definitely isn't an instant classic or maybe even anything that'll linger in my head too much weeks from now, but it's way more fun than its basic elements should reasonably lead them to be with the smart, focused energy delivered by Feig and everyone involved, amounting to a very solid little (but potentially big) summer movie that I was really happy to spend time early with on a rainy April evening. I do hope that Trainwreck and Masterminds can successfully play even stronger to my sense of my humour (basically, weirder) in this coming movie season.

*** / 6.8

[Morris Schæffer]

The problem with such movies is that there's no plot, the gags are the plot. I mean, I found The Heat unbearable, but this one appears to have some more, uhm, meat on its bones. Or some of its bones.

[Henry Gale]

The problem with such movies is that there's no plot, the gags are the plot. I mean, I found The Heat unbearable, but this one appears to have some more, uhm, meat on its bones. Or some of its bones.

Well funny you say that since my biggest issue here was that I thought it leaned on its spy storyline a little too heavily, and that those aspects just didn't have anything juicy or naturally compatible to its comedy, leaving me to prefer it to have omitted any sort of conventional storytelling. There are glimmers of it going very Naked Gun-esque with its employment of jokes and visual silliness over logic, but overall that urge is hushed by its preoccupation with the dull nuclear terrorism elements.

Luckily, not detrimentally so. Most scenes managed at least one significant laugh from me.

[Henry Gale]

So, this is actually out now. And I feel like it's even improved in my mind since April. It also opened way lower than I think it should've this weekend, which isn't entirely surprisingly going by how the recent TV marketing seems to have opted for the most middle-of-the-road comedic and action aspects to dwell on. Even clips I've seen on talk shows have purposely edited away from great sight gags.

This is a recommendation! We can only see Fury Road so many times (is something I can only say objectively)!

[Mal]

A mild yay for me, it's amusing and competent in its aim to be a comedy but there's nothing really interesting as far as a storyline or relationships between the characters. Melissa McCarthy is great as a the "every woman" screen presence though, she makes even the worst of films (Identity Thief, Tammy) strangely enjoyable in some capacity despite their awfulness because she is so likable. I'd like to see her be challenged though, in some more obtuse material like The Nines.

[Morris Schæffer]

"He doesn't know it's a lake."

:D

[dreamdead]

Not much to say here. I laughed at how verbally vulgar Rose Byrne's character was, and she had many solid reactions. The film is surprisingly enjoyable for what looked like a generic genre walkthrough.

MVP's a tie between Statham, Byrne, and Law.

[Dukefrukem]

"I know there's a fucking Face / Off Machine, you're just keeping it a secret from me".

:D

[Irish]

Agree with everybody else.

This is terrific when it's not so tied up in the plot. The first hour or so had me howling regularly. I almost died when Rose Byrne told that "sad Bavarian clown" story and then tells McCarthy, "You remind me of her." Then when McCarthy objects, she deadpans, "You're funny. It must be the Bavarian clown in you."

The last forty or so minutes are tiresome. I don't really need to see McCarthy do her foul-mouthed schtick much after Bridesmaids. The stuff around the plot, when it goes from subverting spy stories to becoming one in earnest, was dull. And the movie overstays its welcome a bit too, there, at the end.

[Dukefrukem]

The last forty or so minutes are tiresome. I don't really need to see McCarthy do her foul-mouthed schtick much after Bridesmaids..

Is there any hope for Ghostbusters?

[Irish]

Is there any hope for Ghostbusters?

After this movie, I like Feig a lot. I think if anyone can pull of GB with that cast, he can. My only concern is that he will direct his own material this time out. He's only done that twice before and one of those times was a straight drama, not a broad comedy.

But yeah -- I figure on some level there's gonna be a temptation to lean on what made Bridesmaids popular, and part of that is McCarthy swearing like a sailor and making poop jokes.

(Edit: I reserve the right to be massively cynical about any and all franchises and reboots, though)

[transmogrifier]

62/100

Needed at least one more pass in the script stage, because it is almost on its way to being a ribald classic, but keeps on stumbling up against the pretty boring "plot" (nothing wrong with making it a generic plot, but keep it backgrounded and let the characters and comedy keep center stage - unfortunately, the final act forgets this), some underwritten characters (wasn't a fan of the British sidekick, who had very few funny lines) and half-cooked concepts (the pestilence in the basement, for example). More of the deadpan absurdity and less of the crude physical comedy would also have been a good idea. Still, I liked the fact that Susan is actually competent and simply missing confidence, rather than it being another tired incompetent-makes-good scenario. Byrne is MVP.

[Peng]

Still, I liked the fact that Susan is actually competent and simply missing confidence, rather than it being another tired incompetent-makes-good scenario.

Yeah, I stayed away at first because of McCarthy (not really a fan of Bridemaids and her in it, so I skipped all of her films before this), but I love how the film puts her both in comedy routine and spy plot quite seamlessly by using this element you have mentioned, instead of mocking incompetence/loudness that I had feared before seeing it.

[Dead & Messed Up]

This film was enlivened by the way it makes Melissa McCarthy's character into a clever, improvisational force with a reasonably straight face. Also helpful is making her most positive relationship the one with her best friend instead of a love interest (her handwaving Law at the end is a savvy and merciful touch). I could've done with 50% less swearing-related humor. That stuff isn't nearly as funny as the film thinks it is, and it at times feels like a betrayal of the character McCarthy creates - all of a sudden she's creating improbable strings of vulgarity that would make Seth Rogen blush, and it's really not that funny. It would've been funnier if that was displayed as something she struggled with and apologizes for. Still, again, refreshing that McCarthy's character only sparingly indulges the expected klutzy jokes. One of the best - predictable but still satisfying - shows her leap a ramp in a moped, marvel at how badass she is, land in wet cement, and try her best to ignore all the construction workers shouting at her. That's not her being a doof, that's the kind of bad luck that silent comedians would respect.

And it's a good thing the flick is strong regarding those decisions, because I have no idea what kind of style Paul Feig was attempted. He films this movie the same way he filmed The Heat, like someone who watched the genre he's parodying while blind. The bizarre overreliance on action speed-ramping makes no sense (has Zack Snyder directed spy movies? why this choice? why do that in this film?), and then he weds that stylistic tic incongruously to countless establishing shots grafted to dull, anonymous pop-hiphop flourishes that make the film feel like we're watching Mean Girls. The lighting is flat. Past a certain point, why bother? Top Secret! came out 30 years ago, and it feels more cinematically rousing than this boilerplate nonsense.

Seriously, even though the film mostly sorta worked, because Feig always has a good grip on his characters, I came out of this film more worried about Ghostbusters than less worried. Reitman's movie looked like a goddamn movie.

[Stay Puft]

I was a little iffy on Bridesmaids but enjoyed this one quite a bit. I like Wiig as a lead in Bridesmaids more than McCarthy here, but I still liked the way McCarthy's character was handled (that she actually was a competent and skillful agent) and was pleased with that aspect of the film overall. Like with Wiig's character, it's enough to anchor the journey from beginning from end, even when individual moments are missing the mark or falling flat. And overall, I'd say I certainly laughed more with Spy, as I found Bridesmaids just a little too inconsistent in its tone and humor.

I agree largely with those above me, that it's too long and perhaps goes in too hard on the spy plot at the end (even though I did enjoy that aspect up until a certain point, with the twists and turns and double crossing and double agent riffs all providing some decent humor and forward momentum in places) and I particularly agree with D&Mu's comments about Feig's style. Which is to say, there isn't much of one. I at least can appreciate that he tried to do something here in relation to the spy genre (the Bond style opening, and just doing ANYTHING for a change with his camera during Jude Law's fight scene for example) even if it is inconsistent and largely anonymous and generally lacking in any kind of strong sense of vision. It's still an improvement over Bridesmaids. There is nothing in Spy as blatantly bewildering as the early restaurant conversation between Wiig and Rudolph, during which Wiig attempts a physical impression of Jon Hamm's penis and has to describe what she's trying to do with her elbows to Rudolph, because the audience can't see it, because Feig never deviates from standard shot-reverse-shot conversation coverage. This is physical humor and Feig can't even understand to point the camera at it. If I had just watched Bridesmaids, I would certainly be worried about the prospects of Ghostbusters going in (for a film comedy, Feig has like zero understanding of how to make visual humor work) but Spy probably calibrated my expectations appropriately (putting a mouse randomly somewhere in a shot is a BIG improvement, haha) which is to say, I know exactly what kind of action/comedy to anticipate and it probably won't be in any way compelling or distinguishable from your average studio hackwork, but the individual players can certainly help elevate it above and beyond those limitations. And Ghostbusters certainly has some strong players in its cast. (I've got tickets for tonight, going with some friends... fingers crossed.)

Mostly, though, watching Bridesmaids and Spy makes me wish for a timeline where Rose Byrne was cast as a Ghostbuster.