10 Best Movies of Melissa McCarthy

Melissa Ann McCarthy is a multi-talented individual, who excels as an actress, screenwriter, and producer. Her influence and impact on the world was recognized when she made Time magazine's prestigious list of the 100 most influential people in 2016. Additionally, The New York Times recognized her talent by ranking her 22nd on its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century in 2020.

Her journey in the entertainment industry began in the 1990s, where she appeared in television and movies. Over the years, Melissa has been involved in various movies, with a special focus on the comedy genre. Her expertise as a comedy film expert has led her to tremendous success, leading to prestigious recognitions and awards.

Undoubtedly, Melissa's star power shines brightly in the following ten movies, each of which showcases her outstanding qualities as an actress. Which movie do you consider to be her best work?

1. Spy

Spy (2015) is Melissa McCarthy's movie that earned her a nomination as Best Actress in a Movie - Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards.

In this Paul Feig-directed movie, Melissa plays Susan Cooper, the main character, who works as a CIA employee and finds herself single at the age of 40.

While her usual responsibility is to assist field agent Bradley Fine from her desk, everything changes when she receives vital information about a potentially catastrophic chemical bomb threat.

Assigned to handle the dangerous situation are Bradley and Rick, but their identities have been leaked by the perpetrators. In the midst of the crisis, Susan offers to go into the field, although many are skeptical due to her reputation for being ridiculous.

Nevertheless, as there was no other decent option, Susan was entrusted to handle the case. After receiving basic training, she sprang into action. The question is: can Susan, who has no field experience, successfully thwart the horrific bomb plot?

2. The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (2023) is a musical fantasy film based on Disney's 1989 animated classic, which is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale of the same name.

The movie tells the story of Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton, who is a mermaid with a deep interest in the human world. However, her father strictly forbids her to explore it due to a tragic incident in the past when Ariel's mother was killed by humans.

One day, when a storm hits the ship carrying Prince Eric and his royal entourage, Ariel witnesses the incident and tries to save Eric's life. King Triton discovered her disobedience and became furious.

In a state of distress, Ariel is approached by two moray eels who introduce her to Ursula, Triton's banished sister, who has become a cunning and dangerous sea witch, played by Melissa McCarthy.

Ursula offers Ariel the chance to become human permanently, but this transformation comes with a condition - Ariel must receive the kiss of true love from a man. However, Ursula has ulterior motives and hidden intentions to "help" Ariel.

3. Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters (2016) is a supernatural comedy film directed by Paul Feig, featuring Melissa McCarthy as Dr. Abigail L. "Abby" Yates. The story revolves around four eccentric women with an interest in parapsychology who decide to start a ghost-catching business in New York.

Abby and her best friend, Erin Gilbert, co-wrote a book about their investigations into the paranormal since high school. However, Abby was the only one who was really invested in continuing her research until she met Jillian Holtzman, an engineering physicist, and decided to partner with her.

The turning point in their adventure came when they encountered an evil ghost that restored Erin's faith in the supernatural. Inspired, Erin decides to join forces with Abby and Jillian. They equipped themselves with stolen equipment and set up a temporary base, calling themselves the Metaphysical Examination Conductors.

And so began their journey as 'ghost hunters' with their first case. As they continued their work, they also began to advertise their ghost hunting services under the name Ghostbusters.

4. Bridesmaids

Melissa McCarthy's next comedy movie, directed by Paul Feig, is called Bridesmaids (2011). The story revolves around Annie, who faces a series of misfortunes after being asked to be a bridesmaid by her best friend, Lillian.

In this movie, Melissa acts as Megan Price, the outspoken yet friendly sister of Lillian's fiancé. Annie Walker, an unlucky single woman, has the honor of being a bridesmaid at Lillian's engagement party with Doug.

During the celebration, Annie meets Lillian's other bridesmaids, including Rita, Becca, Megan, and Helen, who happens to be the wife of Doug's rich and arrogant boss. As the wedding preparations progress, jealousy develops between Annie and Helen as they both compete for Lillian's attention and affection.

Annie's financial struggles become obvious during a trip to Las Vegas for Helen's bachelorette party when she cannot afford a first-class ticket and is too shy to ask for help. Furthermore, her actions cause tension and strain in her friendship with Lillian. The question remains: Can they reconcile and repair their bond?

5. Vincent

Vincent (2014) is a comedy-drama movie featuring a talented cast, including Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Jaeden Lieberher, Naomi Watts, and others. The story is about Vincent MacKenna, a grumpy retiree who is an alcoholic, a smoker, and a gambler. His wife, Sandy, suffers from Alzheimer's and can no longer recognize him.

To be able to visit Sandy, Vincent pretends to be a doctor. Apart from his dog, Vincent's only friend was a pregnant Russian prostitute named Daka.

One day, Vincent gets a new neighbor named Maggie Bronstein (Melissa McCarthy), a radiology technician going through a divorce. Her son Oliver, who has been bullied at school, quickly befriends Vincent.

However, Maggie is worried about the friendship due to Vincent's troubled past, fearing that it will negatively impact her custody battle. Nonetheless, Vincent's unexpected kindness leaves a lasting impact on Oliver. For a school project called "Saints Among Us," Oliver proudly chose Vincent as his subject.

6. The Heat

The Heat (2013) is an action comedy film directed by Paul Feig, featuring Melissa McCarthy as one of his talented actors. This time, Melissa shared the screen with Sandra Bullock, and their chemistry was praised by the critics.

The story tells the story of Sarah Ashburn, an FBI special agent who is arrogant and disliked by her colleagues. She is assigned to a mission in Boston, where she meets Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), a skilled but hot-tempered and rude detective.

Together, Sarah and Shannon manage to install a wiretap device on the cell phone of a nightclub manager, in order to gather information about a drug kingpin named Simon Larkin. During their investigation, they meet DEA special agents Craig and Adam, who have been working on Larkin's case for quite some time.

Through a video provided by the two agents, Sarah and Mullins discover that Mullins' brother Jason, who has just been released from prison, has ties to Larkin. The question is whether Mullins can maintain professionalism while handling the personal aspects of the case.

7. This Is 40

Melissa McCarthy's next movie, This Is 40 (2012), is still a comedy-drama, this time directed by Judd Apatow. The film is a sequel to Knocked Up (2007), which centers on a married couple, Pete and Debbi, who live in a stressful relationship, especially as they both turn 40.

With their marriage in flux, Debbi thinks of fixing their marriage through sports. However, at the same time, Debbi keeps her pregnancy a secret from Pete. Even worse, Debbi and Pete had to deal with their two daughters, Sadie and Charlotte, who were constantly bickering. At Pete's 40th birthday party, the two had another argument over money.

As Debbie and her father argued, Pete finally found out that his wife was pregnant. Instead of being happy, Pete is shocked and angry when he leaves the house.

With all the problems and misunderstandings, can their household survive? In this movie, Melissa McCarthy acts as the mother of Joseph who often mocks Sadie on social media named Catherine.

8. Identity Thief

Identity Thief (2013) is an American road comedy film directed by Seth Gordon and written by Craig Mazin. In this movie, Melissa McCarthy plays Diana, a con artist from Florida.

Diana manages to fool Sandy Patterson, who unknowingly buys fake identity theft protection from her. The disaster begins when Sandy realizes that she can't use her credit card and is shocked to learn that she has been accused of spending thousands of dollars in Florida.

Detective Reilly informs Sandy that her identity has been stolen by a woman named Diana. Things go from bad to worse when Sandy's name is linked to drug dealing. Acting on Reilly's advice, Sandy makes the decision to track down Diana.

Once they meet, Sandy tells her plan to restore her tarnished reputation, and surprisingly, Diana agrees to help. Together, they begin a journey that takes them through a variety of experiences. As they return home, Sandy makes the decision not to turn Diana in to the police, even though doing so could risk her own job.

However, the next day, Sandy mysteriously disappears and leaves a note of apology. The question remains: Where did Sandy go this time, and what will happen to him next?

9. Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Can You Ever Forgive Me? is Melissa McCarthy's next movie, and it differs from comedies in that it is a biography based on Lee Israel's confessional memoir. Melissa McCarthy plays Lee Israel herself in this movie.

The story revolves around Lee's desperate attempts to revive her failing writing career by forging letters from deceased writers and playwrights.

In 1991, after her biography of Estée Lauder failed, Lee Israel found herself grappling with financial problems, writer's block, and alcoholism. Her situation worsened when her agent, Marjorie, rejected her idea to write a biography about comedian Fanny Brice, leaving her without an advance for a new book.

Struggling to make ends meet, Lee was forced to sell her possessions, including a personal letter she received from Katharine Hepburn.

However, her actions were finally exposed when a friend of one of the deceased writers 20 years ago noticed something suspicious about the letters she was selling.

10. The Nines

The next Melissa McCarthy movie recommendation is "The Nines" (2007), a science fiction psychological thriller directed and written by John August. The story is divided into three chapters, each centering on three people: Gary, Gavin, and Gabriel, all played by Ryan Reynolds, who are on a quest to uncover the secrets surrounding strange occurrences.

Melissa McCarthy plays Margaret, with three different roles: Margaret as Gary's PR person, Margaret as herself - the actress in Gavin's TV show, and Margaret as Mary, Gabriel's wife. In the first part, Gary, a troubled actor, burns down his own house and becomes under house arrest. During this time, he befriends Margaret and is haunted by the number 9.

The second part revolves around Gavin, a television writer whose show stars Melissa McCarthy. In a conversation, Susan, a television executive, asks Gavin to find the number nine. In the middle of production, Susan pressures Gavin to remove Melissa's character from the show, which causes chaos, and Gavin sees the number 9 above his head.

The third part is about Gabriel, a famous video game designer who is married to Mary and has a daughter named Noelle. One day, Noelle watches a video on the camera and sees the figures of Gavin and Melissa, as well as Gary and Margaret.

Among these three parts, there are characters named Sarah, Sierra, and Susan, who try to separate them from each other. She tries to make them realize that not all life is real; that the repeated characters actually help Gary, Gavin, and Gabriel to remember that they are not humans, but gods.

As for her specialty, Melissa McCarthy specializes in funny and entertaining movies. However, that doesn't mean she never plays in serious movies. So, what is your favorite one?