Film No. 29 (2015) Spy May 5th.

Film No. 29 (2015) May 5th. 7:00 PM VMAX Innaloo.

"Give up on your dreams Susan, that was my mum, she used to write it on my lunchbox". Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) describing an aspect of her childhood.

Spy

There were so many Bridesmaids like lines in Spy I was surprised to see Kirsten Wigg was not responsible for the script. There is something unoriginal about Paul Feig's film but I can understand why he chose to make it the way he did.

Melissa McCarthy has become a phenomenon. Thinking of her as secret agent, Susan Cooper, conjures up so many comic images that, there lies the foundation for a blockbuster movie. While the whole premise would seem from the outside to be ridiculous, she retains some credibility because we first meet her as an analyst for her James Bond like hero, Bradley Fine (Jude Law). She's Fine's eyes and ears via advanced technological techniques as he fights evil out in the field.

Yes, you guessed it, Cooper is transported to the field when the circumstances of Fine change. Cooper must finish what Fine started. The actual premise for the mission in Spy is not clever, it's the odd characters which weave their way through the farce which raise the level of Spy. Jason Statham (yes Statham of The Mechanic fame) is hilarious while taking the "mickey" out of himself. Miranda Hart as Nancy, Susan's confidant has good chemistry with McCarthy and Rose Byrne does another comic turn as Raina in a similar vain to her Bridesmaid role.

So what did I make of it? It seems James Bond parodies are in vogue and this is another contribution. Kingsman: The Secret Service is far cleverer than Spy but won't necessarily be as popular. If one liners of a reasonably original type are your thing, and you loved McCarthy in Bridesmaids then don't miss Spy. If you appreciate spoofs done cleverly then Spy falls short, you'll get better value from its download release in a couple of months.  6GUMS