Review of Spy (2015) by Jim H — 11 Jan 2016

A frumpy CIA analyst is forced into the field when a nuclear terror plot blows the cover of all the other agents.

Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham are as unlikely a comic duo as one can name, and yet they work wonderfully together in this fun spoof of the spy film genre. McCarthy is hilarious, and Statham's deadpan delivery never misses.

While there is a lot to like about this film, it stretches the suspension of disbelief to its limits. At times it tries to walk the tightrope of pseudo-realism and Naked Gun-style farce but totters back and forth confusingly. Also, there are some wells that the film goes to too many times, as though all the writers' brainstormed lines had to make it into the film.

Overall, it's a fun diversion and a fine comic turn by many of its stars.