Paul Feig directs Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne and Jason Statham in this espionage spoof where a CIA office bod gets to go into the field when a cabal of villains start killing agents.
The first half of this is very funny, the second half gets stuck in the rut of indulgent improvisation and a plot that corners itself with nowhere really to go but 30 minutes still on the clock. McCarthy, Byrne and a game The Stath have good comedic chemistry between them so any scene that just leaves them be stands out. It is a pleasant night in… like watching a modern Pink Panther movie. One side note – industry commentators always note Bond is less popular in the States yet when Hollywood spoofs espionage, 007 clearly is still the gospel it works from. We’ve yet to see Bourne, Bauer or Atomic Blonde be the format ripe for affectionate ridicule. Spy is no different.
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