FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE

 Jude Law     Mads Mikkelsen     Eddie Redmayne    Dan Fogler

Ezra Miller     Alison Sudol     Callum Turner     Katherine Waterston

            This umpteenth version of the Fantastic Beasts series begins on a rather sinister note with Albus Dumbledore (Law) and Gellert Grindelwald (Mikkelsen) meeting for tea and revealing their significant history.  However, during the brief meeting they have major differences that will reverberate throughout the world of magic.  Dumbledore explains to Newt (Redmayne), Theseus (Turner), and Jacob Kowalski (Fogler) that they must exert their powers in thwarting Grindelwald’s plans for wizarding world domination.

            Mikkelsen is made up to bear a resemblance to Hitler and shows him rallying the people around him in ways reminiscent of the German Nazi of WWII.  Grindelwald has become power hungry and knows that Dumbledore will do everything he can to stand in his way, so he sends out resentful outcast Credence Dumbledore (Miller) to kill the older Dumbledore.  

            Most of the story is about these two factions trying to out-maneuver one another.  Unfortunately, there are few surprises (if any) in this production, and although there are a few pearls of wisdom cast (“Do what is right; not what is easy” and “Trying to make things right is more important than perfection”), real substance in terms of ethical and moral values is missing.

            The production is visually beautiful, and it is always fun to see magical powers rendered in CGI (the two major protagonists fight a brilliant battle with one another), but this plot is so thin and lacking any punch, the viewer is likely to question its 2+-hour length.

            Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen, and the rest of the supporting cast are skilled actors who are consistent in their performances.  Music by James Newton Howard and cinematography by George Richmond contribute to the entertainment value.  It seems that the script (J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves) is the main drawback, although it’s also likely that the filmmakers have simply extended the series too long.

 

This latest production in the Fantastic Beasts series adds nothing new, especially given the length.

 

Grade:  C                              By Donna R. Copeland

A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK

Timothee Chalamet     Elle Fanning     Liev Schreiber     Jude Law     Diego Luna

Selena Gomez     Rebecca Hall     Cherry Jones

     Completely fanciful.  Woody Allen’s latest film comes straight from his brain—probably on a rainy day in New York.  In the beginning, the dialog, the music, Chalamet’s character—everything is so enigmatic of the creator that it’s hard to put Woody out of the story.  And he still stays for much of the story, but as it gets more and more madcap, he recedes a little bit.

     Two upstate New York college students are off to New York City for her, a budding journalist, to interview a well-known filmmaker about his latest film for the college newspaper.  She is definitely star-struck, and he is simply excited about going back to his hometown to revisit places like MOMA, the Carlton, Restaurant Daniel, and his favorite piano bars.  Allen seems well aware of males in such situations to make her trip his trip.  They head out, happily in love; he greeting the rainy weather as a welcome friend and romantic opportunity.  (One of the things I found hilarious about the movie is the constant rain and characters’ different reactions to it.)

     The differences in their expectations make up the heart of the movie.  Very soon after they arrive, Ashleigh (Fanning) and Gatsby (intended reference), played by Chalamet, are on very different arcs of experience.  As evidence(?) of her southwestern U.S. routes, she is carried along by people she’s impressed with, with little will of her own.  He, being the cosmopolitan New Yorker, is constantly thrown to his own devices, which is de rigueur for him, and he orchestrates his own way, keeping a well balanced eye on who he is.  She loses herself completely in situations; he is constantly aware of who he is wherever he is, even when new experiences come his way.

     Ashleigh confronts a famous film director’s (Schreiber) existential crisis, his writer’s (Law) dealing with marital infidelity, and a film idol’s (Luna) disingenuous flirtation.  Actually, they’re all smitten with Ashleigh—I suppose, to make a point in that it’s almost a cliché now.  She embodies that wish that they all have of a young, beautiful woman who’s always sympathetic and adoring.

     On the other hand, Gatsby deals with not being adored all the time, having to interact with an ex-girlfriend’s little sister (Gomez) who is clearly not impressed with him and apprises him of her sister’s low ratings of him.  When he ends up having to attend his mother’s (marvelous Jones, as you’ve never seen her) hated society bash and he has a real conversation with her, the film gets down to the bottom line of what I think it’s about—which is, biases that separate people on trivial grounds and the importance of going beyond the apparent and digging deeper into situations and people.

     Woody Allen is one of our most gifted filmmakers who is able to attract the best actors, keep his Oscar-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (too many awards to name) on board, and provide music that captures every moment of every scene.  Artistry abounds in every component of his films.  Yet, something has happened that A Rainy Day in New York is met with only mediocre ratings by critics.

     Maybe it’s too much Woody?  His genes are in the story from start to finish, to be sure, and this starts to feel like a tired joke.  And much of the action recalls too many of his previous works.       This is all true.  Beyond that, my personal reaction was against his casting a woman from Arizona as stereotypically naïve/uninformed/rather stupid. Numerous jokes about non-New York people were made as if anyone outside New York City is naïve at best and uneducated and uncouth at worst—all reflecting the old joke that New Yorkers don’t recognize anything beyond its borders.   

 

Ya have to be a Woody Allen fan to enjoy this movie; otherwise, you may be nonplussed unimpressed, or even offended.

 

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE NEST

Jude Law     Carrie Coon     Oona Roche     Charlie Shotwell

     This movie is odd, with the title being the strangest part.  Associations to a nest are normally that of a stable, comfy, nurturing place with a family altogether.  The story starts out like this, although with a few signs that there might be fundamental problems—a mother consistently late in getting the kids to school, a father needing to defend yet another major move in a short amount of time.  But the parents are basically there for the children; the father is earning enough for a very comfortable living, and the mother trains horses and teaches riding.  What could go wrong?

     Rory (Law) is excited about a new job prospect, which would mean moving the family from New York to London.  His wife Allison (Coon) is not enthusiastic, and tries to talk him out of it.  But he’s a salesman by nature, and off they go.  He secures property with a huge old mansion and enough space to build stables so that Allison can have a business of her own and not work for someone else. He has joined a firm in which he also has his own business.  He’s pumped up with investment ideas and seems on top of the world.  The rest of the family is a bit more skeptical, but adjusting.  The story is about what happens next.

     Sean Durkin, writer/director (as well as Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene), has created a moral of a story that dissects a family with underlying flaws to show ways of coping and probable outcomes when the father is a dreamer, the mother is practical-minded, and the kids desperately try to cope with their differences.  The actors are all well cast, and have chemistry that conveys a believable family going through life changes, and showing the type of stress associated with transitions, a teenager in the house, and a sensitive younger brother.  

     Jude Law has been a major talent beginning in the ‘80’s and best known recently for the HBO TV series, “The Young Pope” and “The New Pope.”  He fits hand-in-glove with the Rory character here, showing loads of charm in business and at home and warm relationships with his wife and his children, even his wife’s daughter.  He clearly adores Allison, bringing her coffee or tea and gently waking her up in the mornings.  Carrie Coon is less well known, but carries off the role of the spunky woman who grew up perhaps underprivileged, but has managed to navigate the waters of the wealthy—most of the time.  Under stress, Coon shows how the veneer falls away, and she reverts back to old antics.  Both younger actors—Roche and Shotwell—give highly convincing performances that enhance the movie’s value.

     The hardest part of The Nest is watching it when you see family members making mistakes and you can easily visualize the outcome. But I think it’s a good movie for younger audiences who might be able to profit from a story not uncommon among families of today.

    Now on Netflix.

 

Welcome to a “golden” family’s experience when stressed beyond a certain limit.

 

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland 

THE RHYTHM SECTION

Blake Lively     Jude Law     Sterling K. Brown

     

     Is there something called violence porn?  I got the idea while watching this movie; the script calls for one formulaic violent scene after another, with all the expected moves, a lot of tension, a little torture, and some thrills, then the climax.  This kind of scene is one repeated at least five times in the film, always with the star, Stephanie (Lively—though none too lively here, at least in the beginning), involved in hand-to-hand combat with men much stronger than she is.  

     Stephanie has PTSD after all members of her family died in a plane crash. She’s a mess and surviving in a brothel when a reporter comes calling, wanting to talk to her because he has information that the crash was a terrorist attack.  (It had been reported as mechanical failure.) She has vengeance on her mind, but…  And this is the worst part of the movie, showing how she reacts and the consequences.

     Soon, Stephanie begins to perk up, fueled by anger, and ends up in Scotland, looking for the journalist’s source.   He is actually already onto her and who she is, and tries everything he can to dissuade her from getting involved, because they’re dealing with an international terrorist group.  Iain Boyd (Jude Law) tests Stephanie’s will and strength mercilessly. When he feels she’s ready, she is sent on one assignment after another, always with the ultimate intent of identifying and taking out the perpetrator(s) of the crash.

     The film directed by Reed Morano (Mark Burnell, writer) lacks all the imagination and creativity of a Knives Out or The Gentlemen, just released.  The first part sags because Stephanie is portrayed so much as a loser and a klutz, you’re repelled.  That she is miraculously transformed so soon after to be an Amazon fighter is implausible.  [And of course my biggest complaint is that she is directed to scream (like “a woman”) during a perilous car chase.  When have you ever heard a male actor scream as he is careening through traffic?]  The rest of the story becomes tedious as one expects the same scenario over and over.

     The best segments are those in which Jude Law and Sterling K. Brown are involved. These two fine actors are able to transcend the script and capture your attention with their believability and power.  Unfortunately, Blake Lively at this point does not possess those levels of skills.  As much as the filmmakers intended to portray Stephanie as a “bad ass”, they and she are not able to convince us.  More positive in The Rhythm Section are the music by Steve Mazzaro (and Hans Zimmer had some involvement) and cinematography by Sean Bobbitt.  

You are likely going to want to skip The Rhythm Section.

Grade:  D+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

CAPTAIN MARVEL

Brie Larson     Gemma Chan     Ben Mendelssohn    Samuel L. Jackson     Lee Pace

Jude Law     Annette Bening     Djimon Hounsou     Colin Ford

     This female Captain Marvel lights up the screen—literally, in brilliant bursts of light—and in her noble beliefs in truth and justice and her aim to be a bridge between Earth and space.

     The story opens with her/Carol Danvers (Larson) as a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot suffering from unexplained amnesia when Yom-Rogg (Law), member of the notable Kree military group known as Starforce, rescues her after a plane crash.  He gives her some information (leaving out significant bits), and informs her that he will be training her to be a Kree warrior subsequent to her DNA being fused with that of a Kree during the accident.  This has given her superhuman strength and other super powers, such as photon blasts from her hands.  He puts her through rigorous fight maneuvers, attempting to train her away from her human emotional reactions to become more like the unemotional Kree.  The Krees are in the midst of a war with another alien group, the Skrulls.

     When “Vers”—the name she is to go by—is ready for her first mission, she is visited by the Krees’ Supreme Intelligence (Bening), who tells her she is ready to be a warrior, gives her instructions and then disappears.  At this point, she can’t really recall her own history.

In her mission, Vers will encounter the bewildering, green-skinned Skrull shape shifters led by  Talos (Mendelssohn) to keep them from stealing a light speed engine invented by the Krees and banish them from the universe.  It gets complicated because the characters and the viewers cannot always tell who is really who they say they are, which also provides the opportunity for humorous scenes in which characters are asking one another factual bits and incidents in their past that a shape shifter wouldn’t know. It also means that who are the “good” guys and who are the “bad” guys frequently shifts.  Since the viewer is in the dark too (unless well informed about Marvel comics), this becomes a teaser in the film, which may capture your interest or seem tedious.

     Brie Larson in a completely new role for her has just the right mixture of sassiness, bravado, playfulness, and fierceness to be convincing as an action figure, Captain America.  It was fun seeing a woman in that role, like it was with Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman, although Captain Marvel doesn’t seem as bad-ass as Wonder Woman.  Jude Law, Samuel L. Jackson, and Annette Bening are all comfortable in complex roles where their characters are seen in different lights at different times.  The arc of Gemma Chan’s role as Minn-erva, Carol Danvers’ best friend/sister, and an ace pilot is gratifying to see.  

     Boden/Fleck as writers/directors (and their co-writers) can be pleased with their new Captain Marvel, which entertains, is well paced, and sustains suspense with brilliant special effects, music (Pinar Toprak), and cinematography (Ben Davis) that complement the story and the characters.  

The emergence of a female Captain Marvel and the war between two alien groups make for an exciting, colorful ride, with a revealing twist toward the end.

Grade:  B+                                 By Donna R. Copeland

VOX LUX

Natalie Portman     Jude Law     Willem Dafoe     Jennifer Ehle     Raffey Cassidy     Stacy Martin

     “Don’t let your kids grow up to be rock stars” could be the theme of this film. Natalie Portman is her usual stunning self in this glittering picture written and directed by Brady Corbet (previously an actor in Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene, Clouds of Sils Maria, and Force Majeure), and now venturing into directing.  The picture starts with a tragic scene in a school in which Celeste (Raffey Cassidy as the younger and Portman as the grown-up) is shot, injuring her spine.  She is a talented, thoughtful young Christian, and to cope with the tragedy, composes a song with her sister Eleanor (Martin), which offers encouragement and solace to all those involved.  

     Celeste undergoes rigorous rehabilitation, and during this time, the song has become a hit not just in their hometown, but across the nation as well, all of which results in bids from people wanting to be Celeste’s manager, one of which is “The Manager” played by Jude Law.  A publicist played by Jennifer Ehle is engaged as well.  

     A bit of sibling rivalry between Celeste and Eleanor runs through the story, but for named reasons, Celeste becomes the star and Eleanor goes with her as her older sister/caretaker, but who remains active in writing songs.  She also becomes a kind of foster mother later for Celeste’s daughter Albertine (Cassidy again in this role).  Plausible family dynamics are woven into the story of Celeste’s rise to fame, enriching the plot.  But while Corbet pays attention to this important aspect, the main thrust of the story is Celeste’s meteoric rise in popularity, her physical/psychological/social vulnerabilities, and the penultimate outcome. Penultimate, because the ending leaves you guessing.

     Natalie Portman gives her all to this performance, as she did in Black Swan, a role which is similar to this one in its story of a talented young woman being exploited by people in the entertainment business.  Both films are left open-ended as to the ultimate outcome.  Here, we see the arc of a rock star’s fame, the erosion of her values and central core, and the question as to whether her family (sister and daughter) can buffer her from the consequences of the path she has chosen.

     A curious omission in this film is the absence of the mother.  She is nowhere to be seen in the film, and her absence is not explained.  This is unfortunate in that her absence could potentially account for some of Celeste’s journey and her relationship with her sister.  But we are given no information.

     The film contains large gaps in time, requiring the viewer to fill in information [e.g., we’re not told about Celeste’s pregnancy; we see her daughter for the first time after she has grown up in the last half of the film (Cassidy in this role too, which is a nice touch)].  The narration delivered with gravitas by Willem Dafoe that occurs periodically helps a great deal in this respect and in making psychological/philosophical sense of Celeste and events in her life.

     Significant assets to the film include the luscious, probing cinematography of Lol Crowley and the score supplied by Scott Walker, with songs by Sia, which are the ones Celeste sings onstage.  The finale is something to see in music and cinematography, and in peak emotionality.  A grande finale indeed, after you’ve thought that disaster was just around the corner.

A rock star born, launched, and riding the peaks and valleys of fame.

Grade:  A-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD

Eddie Redmayne    Katherine Waterston     Dan Fogler     Jude Law     Johnny Depp

Zoe Kravitz     Allison Sudol          Ezra Miller     Credence Baregone     Carmen Ejogo

     The second installment of the Fantastic Beasts series tells about the renewed threat from the dark wizard Grindelwald, who has escaped from the custody of the MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) and has a devious plan to create a new world wherein non-magical beings will be subservient to the wizards who have pledged loyalty to him.  In this framework, one is either for or against him, and he demands a declaration of loyalty.

     The alarm goes out in the wizard world about this new threat, and Dumbledore (Law) charges Newt Scamander (Redmayne) with joining forces to stop him.  Newt is handicapped a bit by MACUSA’s forbidding him to travel internationally, but he is managing to get around that in his and friend Jacob’s (Fogler) journey searching for their loves, sisters Tina (Waterston) and Queenie (Sudol)

     One of the drawbacks of the film is in the script with its multiple plot lines involving so many people it’s hard to keep track of everyone and all the sub-plots involved.  There are the relationships between Jacob and Queenie, Newt and Tina, and Credence and Leta; there is the historical relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald; there is the relationship between Newt and his beloved beasts (quote:  “Newt has never met a beast he didn’t love”); there is the question of the true identity of Credence (Miller); and, finally, there is a question of who among all these characters will take up with Grindlewald and help him in his master plan.

     Director David Yates has collaborated with J. K. Rowling (author of the books on which all the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films are based) on the last six productions, and she has written the screenplays for the two Fantastic Beasts films.  This partnership, along with other consistent members of the team (Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot, Production Designer Stuart Craig), returning actors Redmayne, Waterston, Fogler, Sudol, Miller, and Depp, and the visual and special effects artists contribute a kind of consistency in quality that make the series popular with general audiences.  However, many viewers—possibly more discerning—are picking up on the repetitiousness and “tent-pole” characteristics of these creations.

     Eddie Redmayne’s talented acting is a plus in the Fantastic Beasts series, although whether it can endure the number of upcoming productions remains to be seen.  It’s been agreed that he will remain in his role.  In this film, he, Waterston, Fogler, Law, Kravitz, and Sudol pull off their roles admirably.  

This latest offshoot of the Harry Potter series is attempting to hold onto its popularity with the general public.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD

Charlie Hunman     Jude Law     Djimon Hounsou     Eric Bana     Astrid Berges-Frisbey     Aiden Gillen

      Do we need another movie about the Arthurian Legend?  Apparently, Guy Ritchie thinks so, because he has helped write and has directed this movie about the origins of King Arthur.  After opening scenes of intrigue and murder (which are only clear much later in the film), we see Arthur as a street kid brought up in a brothel, unaware of his lineage.  When his father, King Uther (Bana) realizes that he is in mortal danger from Uther’s brother, Vortigan (Law), who covets the crown, he secrets the child away in a boat, covered with furs.  When the boat arrives to its destination, the women in the brothel scurrying for furs find him underneath, and adopt him as their own.

     Arthur is a scrappy street kid, bullied but never bowed, and eventually gets in enough trouble that he is confronted by a sword in a stone near the palace of King Vortigan.  Unbeknownst to him, Vortigan, knowing he has a nephew who is heir to the crown, has done two things.  He conscripts all young boys to serve in his army so he can gain their ultimate loyalty.  He also knows that the Excalibur sword, lodged between two large stones, can only be withdrawn by the heir to the British throne, e.g., his nephew.  All young men visiting his castle are required try to pull out the sword so Vortigan can identify his potential challenger.

     Mixed into the story is a mage (Berges-Frisbey) who guides the reluctant Arthur to his rightful place.  She has special powers that can bring on a host of crows to attack the enemy, snakes that can prove the worthiness of Arthur for royalty, and so on.  But Arthur is probably the most reluctant hero in the history of literature.  Even after he successfully pulls Excalibur out of the stone he eschews being lauded for it and must be reminded continually by the mage that he has a calling that cannot be denied.  She has considerable powers, but in the end, she has to say that only until Arthur sees its importance to him on his own, will the sword be viable.

     Ritchie has produced an extravaganza that is redolent with medieval history and lore, and the special effects used to enhance the mythological experience are achieved by John Mathieson, cinematographer, production designer Gemma Jackson, and other technological specialists.  Some aspects of the film are not apparent in their value/meaning, such as the firings into the air that produce black clouds, and the mage not being able to save herself when a knife is on her throat, yet is able to overcome huge attacking armies.  She doesn’t have the power simply to fly away?

    If you’re comfortable with the Arthur character looking and sounding like a regular American good guy, you are likely going to praise Hunman’s performance as Arthur.  And I certainly laud his acting ability, but I think the role called for a more British kind of hero who does not look/sound so American.  That kept taking me out of the medieval mood of the film.  I also thought Jude Law was miscast as the villain Vortigan; he doesn’t convey sufficient evil for that character.  He is much more effective in the recent TV production, “The Young Pope”, where he is a bit devilish and unconventional.  Astrid Berges-Frisbey is spot-on as the mage, an occult seer to guide the naïve Arthur toward his destiny.  Aiden Gillen, Eric Bana, and Djimon Hounsou are first-rate actors who add considerably to the vision of this film. 

Of interest to those who do not tire of Arthurian tales.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

GENIUS

Colin Firth   Jude Law   Nicole Kidman   Guy Pearce   Laura Linney   Dominic West

          Genius is a most eloquent account of the human cost of vast creativity in one person.  Often, few people can appreciate it when they encounter it, and it always seems to be a curse for those who try to live with a genius.  The black and white film begins appropriately with dense foreboding—It’s a dark, rainy day, with a man standing without an umbrella, smoking cigarette after cigarette, and gazing up at a brick building and its sign, Charles Scribner’s Sons.  The camera focuses again and again on the man’s shoes stamping out his cigarette butts while pedestrians hurry by under the protection of their umbrellas, completely oblivious to him.  Behind the one light visible in the building sits Max Perkins (Firth) tirelessly editing manuscripts written by the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, and now as well, Wolfe’s manuscript, O Lost (subsequently changed to Look Homeward, Angel), a fictionalized account of his childhood.

         Presently, Thomas Wolfe (Law) appears at Perkins’ door, and we can tell it took a lot of nerve for him to approach.  He opens with the statement about not usually liking to get bad news face to face, so he seldom asks in person.  But now he inquires nervously, “Have you read my manuscript?” certain that it will be rejected as it has already been turned down by numerous publishers.  When Tom is given an encouraging answer, he spews out his gratefulness effusively, and swears he is willing to honor the editor’s precondition to work tirelessly to make it publishable.  Little does either of them realize the amount of effort it will take.

         It turns out that the two men will be completely in sync in their commitment to the project (willing to sacrifice time and family), a developing father-son relationship filling the thwarted needs of both, and their views of literature.  This is despite the sharp contrast in their personalities.  Max is often eloquently silent to Tom’s verbosity. Perkins is 1920’s conventional, proper, faithful, and disciplined.  Wolfe, in his own words, never knows when to stop, is always pushing against boundaries, and is wide open to all the experiences in life he can grasp.  All this is captured perfectly by two versions of the 19^th Century song, “Flow Gently, Sweet Afton”, which Perkins has said is his favorite.  He and Tom are in a jazz bar, and Tom gets the band to play it first in the old version to satisfy Max and then again in his own preferred jazzed-up version of it. 

          The film Genius (screenwriter John Logan) is based on the book by A. Scott Berg entitled Max Perkins:  Editor of Genius about the fascinating relationship between the aspiring novelist Thomas Wolfe and his first editor, Max Perkins.  The movie is a tour de force in its direction (Michael Grandage), its music (Adam Cork), cinematography (Ben Davis), and acting.  Suppressing his British persona, Colin Firth gets across the dignified New England stoicism and Puritan values of Max Perkins.  Jude Law’s portrayal of the outrageous, self-entitled writer is sometimes obnoxious, but always entertaining, even in his darkest musings.  Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce, and Laura Linney round out the stellar cast.  Although someone might object to the dominance of British/Australian filmmakers, I think they are successful in their efforts to capture the American spirit of the times.

          A most interesting sidelight is how Genius makes references to how women were regarded in the 1920’s.  Max casts a dim view of his wife’s playwriting and acting aspirations.  He and Tom talk over her when she tries to turn the conversation to her own work; they’re not interested and don’t consider it important.  Tom has no appreciation for his lover’s passion as a Theater set and costume designer, even after she has been continuously supportive of and made huge sacrifices for his work.  This will go largely unnoticed, even by today’s generation.

A tour de force in its account of the life of a genius and of those who are close to him.

Grade:  A                        By Donna R. Copeland

SPY

Rose Byrne     Melissa McCarthy     Jude Law     Jason Statham     Allison Janney     Bobby Cannavale     50 Cent
 

Spy starts out with Jude Law (CIA Agent Fine) in Bulgaria aiming his gun at someone; he sneezes and the gun goes off (the first of many scenes of violence with comedy); immediately, he has to fight off 10 assailants.  At the writer/director Paul Feig’s SXSW press conference, he said that after he and the stunt coordinator choreographed the scene, he was very apprehensive when Law informed him he could come only a day in advance of filming the scene.  Not to worry, though, Feig said Law “nailed it; he should be the next James Bond.”

      Feig’s most recent film is unusual in the spy genre in that it’s filled with actresses.  Melissa McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a trained spy who works at a desk, giving instructions and directions through his earpiece to Agent Fine out in the field.  He also has her doing his household chores, and it’s obvious she is smitten with him.  But suddenly he goes off the grid, and another agent needs to go undercover to find the killer and to finish the job of locating a nuclear bomb known to be in the hands of cold and beautiful Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne), daughter of a wealthy Russian.  Agent Ford (Statham) is sure he will be given the order to go by Chief Crocker (Janney), but is taken aback when Cooper volunteers on the basis that absolutely no one will know her.  Ford is insulted to be upstaged by a woman—especially this one—behaves very badly, and tries to thwart her in every move she makes.

      But it turns out that Cooper has been well trained to do fieldwork, so Crocker thinks she is the best choice.  It’s a comedown for Cooper that her new identity will be an Iowan housewife dressed in farm clothes and booked into a seedy hotel.  She is ever so resolute, however, in doing the best job possible and sets out, going to Paris, Rome, then Budapest.  To her dismay, Ford, against orders to stand down, tails her, and frequently makes mistakes, which Cooper has to handle.

     Unexpectedly—and delightfully—Cooper surprises us with her excellent skills in strategy, physical encounters, quick identity shifts, and diplomacy—whatever is called for by a situation.  When she manages to have her path cross that of Boyanov, we are in for even more thrills/comedy.  Byrne and McCarthy play off each other in a way that to women will be very realistic; Boyanov initially poking fun at Cooper in a gentile way, but gradually Cooper winning her grudging respect, not only for her appearance, but for her skills as well.  I am delighted that McCarthy is finally breaking out of the slapstick roles and using her considerable talent in something serious.

      Spy is especially gratifying for its inclusion of strong, capable women in a genre sorely lacking such roles.  At the press conference, I asked Feig what he saw in McCarthy that convinced him she would be good in an action role.  He said that, first of all, he loves filming funny women.  He grew up around women and was more comfortable with females as a child than with the horseplay of boys.  When he began his career in film, he noticed actresses weren’t being given good roles.  Then once, when there was a lull in scripts coming past his desk and he saw Skyfall, he was a bit wistful because he had always wanted to make a Bond film.  “Hey, wait!” he said to himself; “I love working with funny women.  Why don’t I write my own spy movie starring a woman?”  And the movie Spy was born.  Even though he didn’t write the Cooper character for her, when McCarthy read the script she immediately wanted the role.  He went on to say that “Melissa has power, even though she’s one of the funniest on the planet…She’s also like your best friend…not intimidating.”  My goal was to make Spy feel real, and Melissa’s just the best at that. 

      Feig said similar things about Rose Byrne after his experience with her in Bridesmaids and seeing her in Get Him to the Greek and other productions.  He noted how versatile she can be; she can be really scary and cold, but funny as well.  She knows how to inhabit a character in a way that can be funny without being forced.

      Spy is an exciting film that the viewer can become absorbed in, even with the comedy sprinkled throughout.  The actresses are very good, including Janney and Miranda Hart in supporting roles; but so too are Law, Statham, and cameos by Cannavale and 50 Cent. 

You won’t want to miss Paul Feig’s latest production.

Grade:  A By Donna R. Copeland