The Friday Five: Melissa McCarthy

The Friday Five: 

Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy is best known for playing to her comedic strengths in a slew of films that are laugh-out-loud funny, and proves why she is one of this generation's best comediennes.  Yet she's also done some serious work as well, and proves that she can more than handle both genres.  With the release of her next serious work "The Kitchen," I take a look at my five favorite Melissa McCarthy films.

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#5

 The Nines

 

In one of her earliest starring roles, McCarthy plays different characters as she interacts with Ryan Reynolds' character through three different stories.  It's a complex psychological thriller in which McCarthy is allowed to play to all her strengths including comedy and drama, and works beautifully against Ryan Reynolds.  The film isn't well-known, but it also features standout performances by Hope Davis and earlier debuts of future superstars Elle Fanning and Octavia Spencer.

#4

 The Heat

 

Melissa McCarthy and director Paul Feig have made some wonderful films together, and many of them are included on this list.  Pairing McCarthy with fellow comedienne Sandra Bullock was pure dynamite, and "The Heat" plays to both these veteran actress's strengths.  McCarthy plays a streetwise cop who's paired with Bullock's by-the-books uptight, and the results are comedic gold, as well as showcasing some surprising action prowess.

#3

 Can You Ever Forgive Me?

 

In one of her most serious roles (which also earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress), McCarthy plays real-life writer Lee Israel, who's a washed-up author trying to make ends meet by forging letters from famous authors and selling them for profit.  As her trickery and deceitful ways catch up with her, she faces jail time and even more alienation than she's already experienced.  McCarthy blows it away and gives a strong, steady, dramatic performance alongside Richard E. Grant.

#2

 Spy

 

Once again Paul Feig brings out the best in Melissa McCarthy in a film that doesn't feel like a typical Melissa McCarthy film.  Here she plays a mild-mannered CIA desk jockey who's wanted to be in the field for awhile and finally gets her chance after a villainous evildoer finds the names of all the CIA operatives, leading her to be their best bet for survival.  McCarthy again delivers the comedic goods and works beautifully alongside Jason Statham and provides a laugh-out-loud action comedy.

#1

 Bridesmaids

 

The film that put Melissa McCarthy on the map and earned her an Academy Award nomination (a rarity for a comedy), "Bridesmaids" is the brilliant ensemble piece directed by Paul Feig about a group of girls celebrating the days before their friend's wedding and all the mishaps that come along the way.  McCarthy easily steals the scene despite going against comedic heavyweights like Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, and Maya Rudolph, and cemented her title as one of this generation's best comediennes.