Melissa McCarthy Ranked

Welcome to the latest edition of "Ranked"-where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out related accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of Melissa McCarthy-whose latest movie "Thunder Force" premieres on Netflix this Friday.

Melissa McCarthy's Filmography Ranked:

15.Identity Thief  (D)

14.The Kitchen (D+)

13.The Boss (C-)

12.Charlie's Angels (2000) (C)

11.Tammy (C+)

10.The Hangover Part III (B)

9.The Happytime Murders (B)

8.Ghostbusters (B)

7.Spy (B)

6.St. Vincent (B)

5.Can You Ever Forgive Me? (B)

4.This is 40 (B+)

3.Central Intelligence (B+)

2.The Heat (B+)

1.Bridesmaids (B+)

Top Dog: Bridesmaids (2011)

As it approaches its 10th anniversary, it's kind of wild to reflect on the impact Bridesmaids had on the careers of those involved with it and the comedy landscape on the whole. It raised the profiles of several under-the-radar veteran performers (Kristen Wiig, McCarthy, director Paul Feig), provided introductions to some of comedy's most reliable scene-stealers (Rebel Wilson, Chris O'Dowd) and gave dramatic actors a chance to show off another side of their craft (Rose Byrne, Jon Hamm) while also redefining what a female-driven comedy could look and feel like. Its staying power on both the laughs and heart front only adds to its enduring legacy.    

Lowlight: Identity Thief (2013)

I have no clue how Thunder Force is going to turn out, but McCarthy and Jason Bateman are going to have to put in a really shoddy effort to top the smoldering crap heap that was their first movie collaboration. Both of these reliably talented performers have never been less funny or more obnoxious on screen as they sail through a stupid, unpleasant comedy/crime mashup that only gets worse by the minute.    

Most Overrated: Spy (2015)

Spy is a pretty funny genre spoof driven by hilarious performances from Jason Statham in a comedic version of the hardass action hero he tends to play and Rose Byrne as a ruthless Russian arms dealer whose in possession of a stolen nuclear device and action scenes that are better than some real big budget globetrotting adventures. However since this is often considered to be McCarthy's best movie and I don't think its on the level of Bridesmaids or The Heat, it qualifies for inclusion here. 

Most Underrated: Central Intelligence (2015)

The birth of the impeccably-matched buddy duo of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart came in this fast-paced, frequently hilarious action comedy from Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball, We're the Millers) that is always a super fun watch.   

Most Needlessly Shit On: Ghostbusters (2016)

All of the toxic fandom bullshit that's been aimed at Disney's initial Star Wars trilogy, Captain Marvel, Birds of Prey, Ocean's 8 and Charlie's Angels over the past few years paired with its lukewarm box office performance has kind of buried the disgusting wave of sexist hate that the reboot of Ghostbusters received in the months leading up to and shortly after its release. What made that gender-driven fanboy backlash even sadder is that the movie turned out to be a faithful and generally solid reboot that balanced nostalgic fan service with its own goofy brand of humor to make a silly albeit not overly memorable sci-fi comedy.

Biggest Missed Opportunity: The Kitchen (2019)

Somewhere where within the unwieldy mess that is The Kitchen is a great crime saga. The directorial debut from veteran screenwriter Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton, Blood Father) boasts some strong performances (particularly from McCarthy, Elisabeth Moss and Domnhall Glesson) and a gritty, stylish atmosphere present that's reminiscent of a classic gangster movie, but courtesy of some combination of bad directing/writing/editing and studio meddling, it becomes a sloppy, hollow misfire that speeds through its seemingly complex web of a story so quickly and coldly that it doesn't even feel like a finished film.