8C • FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2015
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‘Spy’ plays to McCarthy’s comedic talents Spy (R) HHHH By Michael clark Movie Critic
For their third joint venture, writer/director Paul Feig (“Freaks & Geeks”) and leading lady Melissa McCarthy broach the often visited spy/espionage genre but it’s not really the spoof/parody many are labeling it. It’s more of a fish-out-of-water/ unrequited love story that plays to McCarthy’s many strong suits. If guilty of anything, “Spy” would be too much of a good thing; it’s two hours long and should have been trimmed down to around 100 minutes. Far better than “The Heat” but not quite as tight as “Bridesmaids,” “Spy” finds Feig charting unfamiliar territory and he sometimes goes adrift. Taking place in a handful of picturesque European countries (and a dark vermin infested basement at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va.), “Spy” is brimming with long overhead aerial shots, extended chase scenes and the kind of pyrotechnics that would be right at home in any James Bond, Jason Bourne or “Mission: Impossible” installment. While visually stunning and technically proficient, the action sequences take valuable time away from the star, a gifted physical comedienne who is best when delivering profane riddled, and often improvised, rapid fire insults that rarely if ever miss their mark. For most of the third act, McCarthy (as Susan Cooper, also the original title of the movie) more resembles her character from the “Mike & Molly”
Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) clearly has eyes for her partner, superspy Bradley Fine (Jude Law) in “Spy.” (Special Photo: Fox)
TV show than the ribald riffer she’s become on the big screen. Offering audio/ visual technical support for field agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law), Susan is beyond smitten with him and goes along with his semi-doormat treatment of her because he’s handsome and charming. When it appears that Fine has been taken down and an unknown agent needs to be put in place, Susan’s boss (Allison Janney) reluctantly sends her to Paris under the guise as a single, lonely hearts type. This does not at all sit well with Rick Ford (Jason Statham), a belligerent and headstrong agent who can’t get over being passed over for
what he calls a lunch lady. High marks for Statham for poking fun at his own over-serious image and doing so with a straight face. Susan’s target is Rayna Boyanov (McCarthy’s “Bridesmaids” co-star Rose Byrne), the daughter of a recently deceased illegal arms broker who is planning to unload a nuclear bomb to the highest bidder. As the likely killer of Fine, Rayna’s snooty and dismissive attitude transforms Susan from a mild-mannered office drone into a toughas-nails machine, hell-bent on avenging Fine’s death while saving the world. Unlike her crass, largely one-note turns in both
“Bridesmaids” and “The Heat,” McCarthy’s Susan is given a wide character arc by Feig and “Spy” is the first instance where she is able to fully utilize her considerable range. There are scenes in the film that are achingly tender, and McCarthy handles them as well as any seasoned dramatist. Susan’s morphing is steady but fully realized and “Spy” also marks maybe the first project in McCarthy’s career where her weight is a non-issue. There’s not a single fat joke in the entire film. In addition to giving McCarthy all the space she needs to shine, Feig also sees to it that the supporting cast gets
their fair share of prime dialogue. In addition to Janney, Statham, Law and the near-perfect Byrne, Bobby Canavale as evil middle man De Luca and Peter Serafinowicz as the European agent Aldo each make the most of their limited screen time. Conceived as a broad Italian, skirt-chasing stereotype, Aldo is instantly attracted to Susan and even though his advances regularly stray far into lecherous territory, he never totally offends Susan or the audience. As is all too often the case with many action comedies, the second act of “Spy” lags a bit and contains two (relatively) long and inert scenes
that slow the momentum down to a near crawl. Feig redeems himself with a much more brisk and tighter third act which, as virtually any original summer action flick does, all but guarantees at least one sequel. While far from perfect, “Spy” is a rarity for summer (or any other time of the year for that matter). It’s funny and smart, risqué but never blatantly offensive, violent but not graphic and treats its characters as threedimensional humans and not flat, stock cutouts. If Feig had given it one more judicious rewrite, it would have almost certainly achieved classic status. (Fox)
Marathon running time spoils ‘Saint Laurent’ Saint Laurent (R) HHHH
Bonello, “Saint Laurent” bests its predecessor with the collective acting of the cast but comes up second everywhere else. Concentrating only the By Michael clark years 1967 through 1977, Movie Critic “Saint Laurent” totally ignores Saint Laurent’s forFor the second time in as mative years under the wing many years, a bio-flick about of Christian Dior and the last French fashion designer three decades of his life. This Yves Saint Laurent is being isn’t unusual with biographireleased and like the other cal dramas: “The Queen” (“Yves Saint Laurent”), this only examined the life of one looks great and tramples Queen Elizabeth II during all over the man’s legacy and the time of Princess Diana’s memory. death and “Lincoln” with Co-written by Thomas Bi- just the tail end of the Civil degain and director Bertrand War. That’s not the problem.
What kills this movie is its marathon running time (150 minutes) and awkwardly dated period framing devices. Stretching out and padding the narrative to an ungodly length, the filmmakers also chose to employ double and triple split-screen in a manner that was wildly in vogue with U.S. TV shows of the time. It does nothing but offer up constant distraction and gives the impression that the writers were all-consumed by style and regarded the substance as a pesky afterthought. The highlight (as before) is with the man playing
Saint Laurent. Getting his big break starring as the young Hannibal Lecter in “Hannibal Rising,” the lanky Gaspard Ulliel (with the aid of a great haircut, the right duds and those all important YSL eyeglasses) perfectly captures Saint Laurent’s gait, essence, arrogance and raging self-doubt. As with Pierre Nimey in “Yves Saint Laurent,” Ulliel is a dead ringer for the man he’s playing but goes beyond the looks by mastering his mannerisms to superb effect. Presented in French and English with English subtitles. (Sony Classics)
Lea Seydoux as Loulou De Falaise, Gaspard Ulliel as Yves Saint Laurent and Aymeline Valade as Betty Catroux star in “Saint Laurent.”(Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)
COMING SOON TO OWN NOW SHOWING • “The DUFF” (June 9) — A student (Mae Whitman) rebels against the social hierarchy at her high school after learning how her supposed friends view her. (PG-13) • “Kingsman: The Secret Service” (June 9) — A street-smart youth (Taron Egerton) is recruited for global espionage work; Colin Firth, Michael Caine and Samuel L. Jackson also star. (R) • “Project Almanac” (June 9) — Teenage friends build and use a time machine, with calamitous results; stars include Jonny Weston and Sofia BlackD’Elia. (PG-13) • “Chappie” (June 16) — A stolen, futuristic police robot becomes a threat when it’s enabled to think for itself; Hugh Jackman stars in writer-director Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi thriller. (R) • “Run All Night” (June 16) — To protect his son,
a veteran hit man (Liam Neeson) must oppose his underworld-kingpin friend (Ed Harris). (R) • “Unfinished Business” (June 16) — Several businessmen (Vince Vaughn, Dave Franco, Tom Wilkinson) run into endless complications while trying to close a deal in Europe. (R) • “The Lazarus Effect” (June 16) — Medical researchers find a way to resurrect the deceased; Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde star. (PG-13)
Recently reviewed films by movie critic Michael Clark now playing in metro area theaters: • Aloha (PG-13) — 2 stars The once great writer/ director Cameron Crowe’s third straight stinker (“We Bought a Zoo,” “Elizabethtown”) is an incomprehensible mess which is likely due to editing that shortened it by 20 odd minutes. Even Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone can’t save it. • Good Kill (R) — 4 stars For his third collaboration with Ethan Hawke, filmmaker Andrew Niccol (“Lord of War,” “Gattaca”) tackles the touchy subject of drone warfare and the unforeseen negative effects it has on soldiers. January Jones and Bruce Greenwood turn in great supporting roles. • I’ll See You in My Dreams (PG-13) — 3 stars In one of her rare lead performances, Blythe Danner stars as Carol, a longtime widow living in a California retirement community who suddenly finds herself being courted by two men (one being the endlessly
entertaining Sam Elliot). • Tomorrowland (R) — 3 stars Co-writer/director Brad Bird (“The Iron Giant,” “The Incredibles”) gets a lot right in this unique sci-fi notquite-time-travel adventure. When the filmmakers get preachy and political the movie loses its suspension of disbelief and keen sense of wonder. • Mad Max: Fury Road (R) — 4 stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron star in this longawaited reboot of the classic ’80s dystopian franchise. Written, produced and directed by George Miller, “Fury” is a thinking-person’s action flick; an art-house film posing as a summer blockbuster. • The D Train (R) — 2 ½ stars Recalling his titular role in “Bernie,” Jack Black stars as Dan, an abrasive and grating type of guy living in the past hoping to make his 20th high school reunion a hit by trying to sway a semifamous former classmate (James Marsden) to attend
the gathering. • Far From the Madding Crowd (PG-13) — 3 stars This fifth adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel is by far the best of the lot thanks to impeccable period photography and spot-on performances of the four principal cast members. The iffy editing and uneven pace rob it of true greatness. • The Avengers: Age of Ultron (PG-13) — 2 ½ stars Pulling in over $500 million worldwide on opening weekend, “Ultron” is better than the first installment, which means it’s less abrasive and a tad bit smarter. Faring best is James Spader voicing the title character, a computer program with a God complex. • The Age of Adaline (PG-13) — 3 ½ stars Blake Lively (“Gossip Girl”) establishes herself as a bona fide A-lister playing the title character, a 100-plus-year-old woman who stopped aging at 29. Crack support work from Ellen Burstyn and Harrison Ford make this a chick flick with teeth.
• Clouds of Sils Maria (R) — 2 ½ stars Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz share the screen in what initially looks like a modern riff on “All About Eve” yet ultimately disintegrates into a navel-gazing art-film that goes nowhere and takes it’s time getting there. • 5 to 7 (PG-13) — 2 ½ stars Struggling, 20-ish writer Brian (Anton Yelchin, “Star Trek”) and worldly, married, 30-ish French girl Arielle (Berenice Marlohe, “Skyfall”) start an affair that smacks of Woody Allen and works until writer/director Victor Levin reveals the big plot twist too soon. • Lambert & Stamp (R) — 3 ½ stars For any fan of the Who, “Lambert & Stamp” is absolutely indispensible. Rather than being another documentary about the band, it focuses on the unlikely artistic and business pairing of the titular characters that molded street punks into rock stars.