JUNE 5, 2015
Make no mistake about it. Melissa McCarthy is a genuine movie star. Well, of course, you might think. What about “Bridesmaids”? Yes, she garnered excellent reviews and earned that very rare Oscar nomination that is given to a strictly comedic performance. But she was billed sixth. When the film opened, the crowds showed up though not for McCarthy, but it was she whom everyone was talking about the next day.
She then teamed up with Sandra Bullock for 2013’s “The Heat,” which opened to a whopping $39 million, but it can be persuasively argued that Bullock was the major draw at that time. But McCarthy even managed to push a dog like “Tammy” (in which she co-starred with Susan Sarandon) to an $84 million domestic gross last year. An impressive feat, but the question remained: could Melissa McCarthy open a film by herself?
Paul Feig’s “Spy,” which opens in wide release today, provides the definitive answer. Yes. The film features some hilarious support from Rose Byrne, Jude Law and particularly Jason Statham. But “Spy” is strictly McCarthy’s show, as she is asked to be a smitten wallflower, a kick-ass martial artist, an intimidating bodyguard and a femme fatale, all in one character in a knock-out comedic performance.
Melissa McCarthy is like no other comic actress working in movies today. I’m not talking about her body shape; I’m talking about her fearlessness. Undoubtedly due to her improv training, she is not afraid to be outrageous or make herself look foolish to get that laugh. And that quality, in part, is what I think endears her to audiences.
If “Spy” does $30 million or more at the box-office this weekend as expected, Melissa McCarthy must be considered not only a movie star but a major movie star.
