Boy, I love to be surprised, and that usually happens for me in comedies based on how mind-bogglingly stupid the state of comedy has become lately. From the scene-chewing hammy crap of Jim Carrey that passes as slapstick, to overly-sensitive parents who don't want their darlings to hear the words boobs and butts, much less see one, to overly pansy, politically-correct liberal-types who don't understand the concept that effective humor tends to be brutal and will offend, to the lazy producers who churn out a never-ending stream of fart jokes; humor has definitely taken a hit in the last 15 years. It's become so bad that Will Farell playing a pan flute for an extended sequence is considered funny AND repeated in the sequel. My god, what happened to the funny? With the occasional sublime comedy like The Hangover, Bridesmaids or Ted occasionally slip through the cracks, a good, rip-roaring adult comedy is difficult to come by lately.
And then Spy came along.
I admit, I went into this movie sorta under protest. As much as I liked Bridesmaids and Melissa McCarthy did make me laugh in it, to me, she was not the strongest element in that film. Most of her movies lately have appeared to be retreads of that comedy template, the fat person with no sense of self or propriety. But as in similar cases with Dumb and Dumber, American Pie, and The Forty-Year-Old Virgin, I must apologize to the filmmakers. This movie was FANTASTIC!
When the CIA's top spy (Jude Law) is killed on a mission, his partner at HQ, Susan Cooper (McCarthy) is activated into service to track a ruthless arms dealer (Rose Byrne, also from Bridesmaids). Along the way, a hell-bent-for-revenge CIA operative Rick Ford (Jason Statham at his unhinged best) keeps almost blowing Cooper's cover because he feels she's not up to it. Hilarity ensues.
Now this could have gone off the rails if they would have made Cooper to be the stereotypical bumbling fat person played for laughs. But instead, the filmmakers go the exact opposite way and play her totally straight, which works beautifully. Cooper is a natural talent for the work, but is a little unorthodox in her appearance, which makes the comedy juxtaposition so much fun and interesting. They play her realistically, lacking in confidence in herself and her abilities. This has held her back as other people push her aside because they underestimate her. Many overweight people will understand this, that this tends to be a truism in real life. Most people don't respect overweight people for whatever reason, and that is why overweight people are the last safe group to make fun of. Look at any comedy. Who is the lovable, clumsy, dorky loser? The fat guy/gal. Lately, Hollywood has been overcompensating for this by making fat people strong, but incredibly crude, devoid of any sense of decency or decorum. In either case, the end result is the same, the fat people are a freak show in every sense of the word. Don't believe me? Look at any fat person in any comedy over the last 20 years. They are either gross, stupid, unaware or clumsy, or a combination of all four. But Spy turns this trope on its head, that the overweight person is quite capable and the stereotypical beautiful people don't know what to make of it.
While the F-bomb is thrown around a LOT, the movie relies mostly on the subtle for its comedy. The jokes are sharp jabs grounded in reality, with such acidity in some cases that I felt my skin burning. That's not to say it isn't over the top. Jason Statham is a comically deranged version of every character he has played in the past, and he is absolutely brilliant. Many times, he rants about how all his loved ones were killed and the horrible things that happened to him. The funny thing is, each of these rants are basic plots to every one of his previous films. The end result is hilarious. Louie C.K. has been making the rounds in the last few years with his brand of the wickedly perverse wrapped up in the banal. You feel almost guilty laughing at his jokes. The humor comes from a VERY dark place and you don't see it coming. Spy has that same quality for me. This is NOT an Austin Powers-flirting-with-the-dark-side-but-still-PG-13-family-friendly-type of film. Nor is it a Borat or Bruno-let-it-all-hang-out-type of film. This is not for kids. Leave them home. Don't be cheap and spring for the babysitter, or send them to that mutant hellspawn atrocity, The Lego Movie. Spy is pure adult, guilty pleasure. Don't question it. Just enjoy it.
A final word to 20th Century Fox's promotions department. Despite this movie making a boatload of money despite your best efforts to ruin it, you really need to hire some new blood. The commercials were dull, the movie poster campaign unimaginative (see the first two below for the dull, dumb, boring posters for this campaign), and as a whole, lazy except for the third poster on the right. THAT is a great poster for this movie, and yet I see it nowhere. Poster design used to be great art, now it's just dull, boilerplate pictures of the cast with a tagline and a title. The ad campaign did this movie a great disservice. I almost missed this amazing gem based on that alone.
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