“Spy” delivers everything that you expect from a Melissa McCarthy movie. Many of its slapstick moments will have you laughing out loud… but you will have to endure a barrage of 100 f-words to get to the end. It is a shame because this story is very clever but the writers obviously don’t have enough confidence in their ability to write clever dialogue; instead, they defer to shock-value profanity as their main comedic device. Probably the biggest travesty is the talent that they had to work with, including Jude Law, Jason Statham, Allison Janney, and Rose Byrne. McCarthy’s oft-self-shaming-but-hilarious comedic delivery is enjoyable in the first hour as we tolerate the film’s 17 f-words, but everything goes out of control during the second half when the film becomes an all-out swearfest that completely overshadows a great twist and an action-packed final battle. If I wanted to hear an hour of multiple f-words per minute, I would have watched “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Actually, I wouldn’t have because that much profanity is entirely unnecessary. In spite of the script, I think that this film really embraced the idea of a spy film. It has the intrigue, exotic locations, car chase, epic shootout, and gadgets that we love in a Bond film, all permeated by McCarthy’s brand of slapstick comedy. This aspect of the film is incredibly well done and I wish that I could have fully enjoyed it for what it is. My rating of “Spy” seems like it would indicate that the film is average but it is actually the opposite. My rating is meant to indicate that the cast and story are on par with the best comedy films out there but the script’s reliance on unnecessary profanity drags the entire film down.
[Pictures: The disguises. Oh, the disguises. So many great moments in this film.]
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