Spy

Director: Paul Feig

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart

Length: 120 Mins

Country: US

Usually, I cannot muster myself to laugh at silly, situational gags or jokes centered on bodily functions – but luckily not all movies nowadays concentrate on this type of humour, and you can actually find quite well-rounded titles that provide more food for thought. Spy is one such film. Probably not that many people have heard of it, as its marketing campaign was pretty lacking, which is a big shame. With Melissa McCarthy, one of the new-frontier women-comedians, as the titular spy, Jude Law as a dashing James Bond analogue, Rose Byrne as a baddie and Jason Statham as a delightfully funny rogue agent, this film is a must-see.

The story is quite straight-forward – Susan Cooper (McCarthy) is a desk CIA agent, providing intel and guidance to Bradley Fine (Law), the best field agent they have. They make a good team, succeeding in many missions together. However, Susan soon is flung into the middle of action, becoming the titular spy as a routine mission goes awry.

Susan is likeable and it is refreshing to see a female character like her. She has her doubts, whilst remaining capable. She is just completely badass. Perhaps McCarthy’s portrayal of her becomes a bit hammy as the film goes on, relying too much on aggressive jabs at others. However, her behaviour does not remain unanswered, as the chemistry between characters is top-notch, and they do not passively endure her treatment of them. As an explanation, it is worthy to note that one of the main criticisms of the film were constant jokes at the expense of Susan, focusing on her weight or lack of experience as a female agent. In the first part of the movie she remains passive but later on starts to retaliate, which could explain some of the risqué phrases she utters later on, after being finally recognised as a full-fledged agent. Perhaps this illustrates the notion that once you have power, you can finally show others what you truly think of them?

Image: 20th Century Fox

Male characters, both Law’s and Statham’s are in the background more than not, and I will not say much more about their involvement in the plot to avoid spoiling all the turns and mystery, which both are a big plus of the screenplay.  I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal of Susan’s relations with both of them, however. It is quite seldom, I think, to showcase woman’s crush on a man, in all its awkwardness and shamelessness. This made the film all the more relatable and enjoyable to me.

This film is a statement of women’s power and the notion that once you believe in yourself, you can do so much more than others would have expected of you

Let’s not forget what is truly astonishing and delightful about this film, however: five out of eight key characters in Spy are female. There is of course a torrent of unnamed male mobsters to beat up but the fact still stands, and is truly remarkable, especially for a comedy.  Women are portrayed both as CIA agents as well as baddies, capable of both top-notch bureaucratic and actual field work, the latter perfectly illustrated in the fighting sequence between Susan and a female assassin. Women talk a lot about work together, there is camaraderie between them and actual friendship.

Image: 20th Century Fox

If you want to see an action-packed, well versed and humorous take on the spy genre, starring great actresses and actors, this is a choice for you. To be honest, I first heard of the film while browsing reviews on a feminist blog I am a fan of, which should illustrate my point all the more. This film is a statement of women’s power and the notion that once you believe in yourself, you can do so much more than others would have expected of you.