Credit: Spy
Spy is a 2015 comedy/action espionage film directed by Paul Feig, a well-established comedian, actor, and filmmaker. It follows the unusual story of Susan Cooper, a qualified CIA field agent who works as an assistant to Bradley Fine, a top CIA field agent. After Bradley is captured, the CIA concludes that he is deceased after Susan witnesses a video feed where he is presumably shot dead. Seeing a window of opportunity to prove herself, Susan takes advantage of this to volunteer for a mission that requires her to track down the heinous organization responsible for killing her partner. Her boss reluctantly assigns her this mission after learning that the identities of the CIA’s top agents have been exposed. The result thereafter is a hilarious spy-action movie with plenty of unexpected plot twists that proves that Paul Feig has what it takes to compete in the big leagues.
Credit: Spy
If “don’t judge a book by its cover” was a person, it would be Susan Cooper.
The protagonist of Spy, Susan Cooper (brilliantly portrayed by Melissa McCarthy), is an iconic example of the English idiom: “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Susan is introduced in the story as an overweight desk jockey who works as Bradley Fine’s handler (portrayed by Jude Law), a top field agent. Bradley routinely uses Susan for his errands, like doing his laundry and firing his gardener, exploiting her kindness towards him, despite Susan’s qualifications as a field agent. Fortunately (or in the case of Bradley, unfortunately), Susan gets an opportunity to prove her worth as a field agent after Bradley’s disappearance and the assumption that he is dead. She successfully infiltrates the organization she’s targeting and, for the most part, foils a terrorist plot alone, earning the respect of her boss and colleagues, including Bradley, who we later find out that he faked his death.
Credit: Spy
We need more films like Spy where women break stereotyped roles.
By rejecting the conventional direction of casting men as the primary characters in almost all espionage films, Paul Feig delivers an alternate portrayal of an absurd, driven, and comical woman who is just as skilled as Jason Bourne (if not more). Having established himself as a director who often casts women in the lead roles in his films, Paul Feig ups the ante in his latest entry by using a female lead to contrast the stereotypical male spy. All the female roles in Spy stand out with their remarkable acting prowess and ability to choreograph sensational fight sequences while blending dialogue with humor. It is somewhat unexpected to watch Jason Statham (playing the role of Rick Ford) portray a “dumb” spy who regularly embarrasses himself and is frequently outwitted by somewhat relatively “dumber” villains. Despite being a fascinating and amusing character, his presentation of exaggerated prowess paints a comical picture of bias since it has the audience curious about how someone such as him rose to the top of the clandestine community, and yet it took Susan so long to obtain field clearance despite being a better field operative. Rick Ford sets out to solve the case before Susan botches it since he unsurprisingly doubts she can handle the demands of fieldwork. Shockingly, Susan saves him from an attempted assassination, hangs from a flying helicopter, and mounts it successfully, while Rick Ford fails miserably. As much as Spy is a comedy movie, seeing a female lead make a better spy than a male lead is a refreshing take on Hollywood action films, and we need more movies like this.
Credit: Spy
The action/comedy genre remains as entertaining as it was a decade ago.
Many films today are released with the tag of action/comedy, yet they often fail to successfully blend these two subgenres. Spy, however, was a tremendous success that received positive reviews from critics and grossed an incredible $235 million worldwide against a $65 million budget. Furthermore, it was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, the latter being a nomination for Melissa McCarthy. Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy have previously worked together on projects like The Heat and Bridesmaids, both of which were successful films. An impressive supporting cast, which includes 50 Cent, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, and Morena Baccarin, all adds to the comical elements that make Spy a great watch. During an interview with The Guardian, Paul Feig hinted that a sequel focusing on Jason Statham’s Rick Ford was already in the works, although the project did not have a producer at that moment.Paul Feig
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