Melissa McCarthy's Filmography Is Uneven To Say the Least, But These 3 Movies Are Masterpieces

2 days ago 6

Published Feb 25, 2026, 4:54 PM EST

Jessica is a young writer from Brisbane, Australia. An avid consumer and lover of all things Film and TV, you will never tear her away from a screen. A tendency rooted from childhood, she once had dreams of becoming a member of the famed kids-band 'Hi-5'. Perhaps that's what pushed her to secure an education with a theater background. But now, as dreams evolved, her passions have turned to admiring performances from afar. Frankly, she's just grateful that she can put her binging skills to good use. Outside of work, Jessica recently completed her undergraduate double degree in Arts/Communications at the University of Queensland. Other than that, she spends most of her free time with family and friends, probably never forgetting to talk about the new movie or show she watched the day prior.

If there's one thing Melissa McCarthy's career has never been, it's predictable. She's the kind of performer who can bulldoze a scene with sheer comedic force—and then quietly break your heart in the very next project. Sure, her filmography may be uneven (okay, sometimes wildly uneven), but her talent? That's never been up for debate. She first charmed audiences with her lovable nature in well-acclaimed television shows such as Gilmore Girls and Mike & Molly. These successes only made her leap into the film world feel even more explosive.

Now making waves in Hollywood, she's become one of the most in-demand leads in recent history, especially within her beloved comedy genre. And sometimes it worked beautifully. Other times...not so much. For every sharp, well-constructed comedy, there seemed to be another that leaned too heavily on improvisation, too far with the gags, or even confused loudness for wit. Some films felt underwritten, while others struggled to harness her strengths. The result is a resumé that zigzags between inspiring and baffling. But here's the thing: even when the material falters, McCarthy rarely does. She's fearless. She commits. And when she's paired with the right script and the right creatives, she delivers something electric. To honor this, these are the three films that capture that full scope, reminding us that when everything clicks, she's not just entertaining. She's a true star.

3 'Can You Ever Forgive Me' (2018)

Melissa McCarthy as Lee Israel looking up while holding an open book in Can You Ever Forgive Me

Based on a real-life tale, once-successful biographer Lee Israel (McCarthy) finds herself broke, bitter, and blacklisted from the literary world in 1990s New York. Desperate for money and relevance, she begins forging letters from deceased literary icons, selling them to collectors who are all too eager to believe they've acquired something authentic. Alongside her delightfully chaotic drinking buddy Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant), Lee spirals deeper into deception—even if that throws her further into isolation.

What makes Can You Ever Forgive Me such a revelation is how fully it completely recalibrates what we expect from McCarthy. Gone is heightened physical comedian. There's no mugging for laughs, no exaggerated physicality, nor any scene-stealing bravado. Instead, audiences are introduced to a dramatic side where she portrays a prickly, defensive, deeply lonely woman who weaponizes her wit before anyone can wound her first. McCarthy imbues Lee with great restraint and precision, letting silences stretch and bitterness simmer. Even when there is humor, it's one that's bone-dry and cutting, emerging not from punchlines but from character.

At the end of the day, Lee is made to be unlikeable, and McCarthy is not afraid to showcase that as she never softens her edges nor searches for easy redemption. It's a career-best performance—sharp, sad, and unexpectedly tender—one that earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars. Within this one role alone, McCarthy makes you feel her ache beneath the sarcasm, and it's proof that her talent has always extended far beyond the slapstick gags.

2 'Bridesmaids' (2011)

Megan raising her leg to stop a man from passing in Bridesmaids.

In Bridesmaids, McCarthy plays Megan Price—the aggressively confident, marshmallow-loving, unapologetically strange sister-in-law of the impending groom. The film centers on Annie's (Kristen Wiig) spiraling as she tries to be the perfect maid of honor for best-friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph), but every time Megan enters a room, she hijacks it in the best possible way. Whether she's aggressively flirting with an air marshal or delivering unsolicited life advice with terrifying intensity, Megan is chaos embodied.

And yet, what makes this performance so legendary isn't just the physical comedy (though the plane scene alone deserves its own place in the cinematic hall of fame). It's the sheer commitment. McCarthy refuses to make Megan the butt of the joke. Yes, she can be a little boisterous, but McCarthy plays her with total sincerity—as Megan is fully convinced of her own magnetism, intelligence, and emotional depth. That lack of irony becomes strangely empowering rather than humiliating. A win for feminist filmmaking if I do say so myself.

In a broader cultural context, Bridesmaids was a seismic shift for female-led studio comedies. It proved that women could be messy, crude, outrageous, and commercially successful. And much of this could be attributed to McCarthy's Oscar-nominated performance as she expanded what female comic archetypes could look like. It's bold, fearless, and weird in all the right ways—the kind of performance that permanently alters the contemporary comedic landscape. No wonder this catapulted her as a once-in-a-generation comedic force. Bridesmaids is, ultimately, one of the best comedy films of all time.

1 'Spy' (2015)

Melissa McCarthy as Susan Cooper holds onto Jason Statham as Rick Ford as they walk together at a party

Entering the world of espionage, McCarthy stuns as Susan Cooper, a desk-bound CIA analyst who spends her days guiding suave field agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) through dangerous missions via earpiece. But when Fine is compromised, Susan volunteers to go undercover herself—only to be saddled with the most aggressively unglamorous identities imaginable, until she takes matters into her own hands. What follows is a globe-trotting spy comedy involving arms dealers, high-speed chases, and a gloriously unhinged collection of performances from an electric ensemble.

What distinguishes Spy from many of McCarthy's broader comedies is precision. Directed by genre legend, Paul Feig, the film understands exactly how to deploy her strengths. Susan's arc—from underestimated support staff to full-fledged field agent—never feels like a gimmick. She isn't accidentally competent, she's always been skilled. Her intelligence and observant nature are just simply overlooked. That kind of concept is empowering without being preachy, outrageous without being sloppy. By the time the action sequences arrive, McCarthy continues to commit just as fiercely as she would to a comedic piece. The fight choreography is crisp, and she moves with surprising agility, never reducing the action to parody. That balance is what makes this film so satisfying: it skewers spy tropes while still delivering legitimate thrills.

What only makes this better is how McCarthy anchors the stellar ensemble. For one thing, her banter with Rose Byrne crackles with venomous elegance, while her dynamic with Jason Statham plays on escalating absurdity. It makes for the most entertaining film interactions of all time. And in terms of pure rewatchability? This is a film you can definitely go to over and over again, for it is the perfect blend of razor-sharp wit and undeniable star power. How this is considered an underrated comedy baffles me. Frankly, it should've received a sequel years ago.