Movie Reviews: Minions and Spy

The minions made their first appearance in 2010's Despicable Me, a mere five years ago, though it feels like one. They proved to be more popular than the title despicable creature, Gru, and appeared in three short films that year, followed two years later by a straight-to-video feature that still had to have the word "despicable" in it (Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem 3D is the full title, and also features Gru). In 2013, Despicable Me 2 appeared, with diminishing creativity and moxie. Now comes Minions, to be followed by Despicable Me 2 two years hence.

The plot has our titular creatures travelling to Orlando, Florida – for Minions takes place in a world in which there will naturally be a Super Villain Convention, where they win over Scarlett Overkill (given voice by Sandra Bullock, who weirdly doesn't sound like Sandra Bullock). She takes her new henchpersons to London, where they conspire to steal the crown jewels. The rest of the minions join up with the trio and at the last second and they finally meet up with Gru, so that Despicable Me can happen. Thus if you love minions, the circle is complete. If only your small kids love minions, then you will lurch from the island of wit to the island of nostalgic song, possibly insulted by the film's crass attempts to keep you barely interested.

The latest mono-monikered film from Hollywood is Spy, the new mildly amusing star turn vehicle for Melissa McCarthy. She plays Susan Cooper, a CIA desk jockey who provides live Intel for agents in the field, like Penelope on Criminal Minds. Nurturing a crush for the James Bondian Bradley Fine (Jude Law), she is devastated when he is lost in action. But there being no equally competent field agent after Fine, the chief sends Cooper out to unearth the hidden info Fine was looking for. Garbed in a series of embarrassing middle-American disguises that reveal what her bosses really think of her, Susan goes against orders and ends up inveigling her way into the crew of the film's villainess, Rayna Boyanov (TV's Rose Byrne). There she finally proves her worth.

The hidden impetus behind the premise is that McCarthy, the actress, is overweight, and thus part of that vast majority of Americans who are secretly, or not so secretly, judged every day, all day for their presumed lack of self-restraint, laziness, and ill-health. Though no jokes are made concerning the thespian's avoirdupois, the general source of the gags is the low self-esteem that comes from body image issues and which makes her anonymous in a weight and beauty conscious culture. Ms. McCarthy is perhaps a living example of how, with wit and intelligence and a certain daring, one can overcome knee jerk reactions.

Spy is the creation of Paul Feig, who with Judd Apatow is the main source of movie humor these days. An actor-writer-director, he's worked on numerous TV shows in all those capacities, while on the big screen he has turned Ms. McCarthy into a sort of muse, collaborating with her on Bridesmaids, The Heat, and the forthcoming all-girl Ghostbusters. They are probably compatible because Feig is drawn to the unsightly truths of body functions and class consciousness, while McCarthy is game to go there with him. The problem with modern humor, however, is that unless the jokes traffic in human waste, gas, or organ dimensions, the viewer is unlikely to remember any of the gags once outside the theater, as is the case with this reviewer. As well as bringing back full, explanatory titles, why don't they also bring back dialogue with a soupçon of true wit to it.