At 120 minutes Writer-Director Paul Feig’s (The Heat 2013, Bridesmaids 2011) Spy is one hilarious take on the world of Bond, Mission Impossible and the likes of it.
Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is a desk based CIA Analyst ‘living the action’ through the eyes of field operative Bradley Fine (Jude Law). It comes as no surprise that she adores him and actually ‘fantasies’ about him, as the women in the MI5 are ready to jump into bed with Bond!
Well, that’s not all. She’s eager, far too eager to get onto the field but given her ‘dimensions’ she is rather too loud and ‘much too obvious’.
But as they say, when push comes to shove, one has to be launched one must be- so Ms. Cooper needs to fill in the shoes of her boss, Bradley when he goes missing in action.
Who says trying to fight the bad guys is the only battle one has to fight? There are internal politics and Cooper’s colleagues are just not too happy that big boss is deciding to launch a damn field operative, and that too someone like Cooper to infiltrate the deadly world of arms in pursuit of a ‘glamorous’ dealer.
So instead of backing her up like a true partner, Rick Ford (Jason Statham) makes bad matters worse for her and botches up the game. So Susan first has to prove her abilities not only to her boss but also to Rick whom she actually saves from being blowing up!
I have always believed that the best way to get across a serious message digested is through the act of comedy and Spy is yet again one of those well-crafted means which accomplishes the same.
Scratch the surface comedy and you will find the pain and anguish of an enterprising woman who has to constantly prove her mettle, intellectual prowess and herself in a world so dominated and glamorized by men.
Did anyone mention about Mata Hari- the romanticized spy who danced into the hearts of men before she finally faced the French firing squad on stipulations of being a spy for Germany during World War I?
There have been other major breakthroughs by women in several fields and yet it seems they have to prove themselves time and again- this I gauge is the heart of the story of Spy.
Apart from the serious analysis, Spy is one hell of a comedy that tickles and keeps one truly rolling on the floor (don’t actually take me literally on this).
The vital question- does agent Cooper manage to get the baddies? Does she succeed? Does she finally get the much desired job after her probation period/ test run is over?
Well- go for it- sit back, relax and enjoy the roller-coaster ride! Spy will make you evening worth the watch.
Rating: 3/5