All Melissa McCarthy Movies Ranked

Critics Consensus: Deftly directed and laced with dark wit, Can You Ever Forgive Me? proves a compelling showcase for deeply affecting work from Richard E. Grant and Melissa McCarthy.

Synopsis: Lee Israel is a frustrated, hard-drinking author who can barely afford to pay her rent or bills in 1990s New York. Desperate for money, Israel... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone

Directed By: Marielle Heller

Critics Consensus: Simultaneously broad and progressive, Spy offers further proof that Melissa McCarthy and writer-director Paul Feig bring out the best in one another -- and delivers scores of belly laughs along the way.

Synopsis: Despite having solid field training, CIA analyst Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) has spent her entire career as a desk jockey, working hand-in-hand with dashing agent... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart

Directed By: Paul Feig

Critics Consensus: A marriage of genuine characters, gross out gags, and pathos, Bridesmaids is a female-driven comedy that refuses to be boxed in as Kristen Wiig emerges as a real star.

Synopsis: Annie (Kristen Wiig) is a single woman whose own life is a mess, but when she learns that her lifelong best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph),... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper

Directed By: Paul Feig

Critics Consensus: Ghostbusters does an impressive job of standing on its own as a freewheeling, marvelously cast supernatural comedy -- even if it can't help but pale somewhat in comparison with the classic original.

Synopsis: Paranormal researcher Abby Yates and physicist Erin Gilbert are trying to prove that ghosts exist in modern society. When strange apparitions appear in Manhattan, Gilbert... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon

Directed By: Paul Feig

Critics Consensus: The Heat is predictable, but Melissa McCarthy is reliably funny and Sandra Bullock proves a capable foil.

Synopsis: FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is a methodical investigator with a long-standing reputation for excellence -- and arrogance. In contrast, foul-mouthed, hot-tempered detective... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demián Bichir, Marlon Wayans

Directed By: Paul Feig

Critics Consensus: Though The Nines doesn't solidify as well as writer/director John August would hope for, Ryan Reynolds's strong performance makes each of the film's intriguing segments worth watching.

Synopsis: Three actors (Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy) tackle the principal roles in a trio of stories. In "The Prisoner," a publicist and a neighbor... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy, Elle Fanning

Directed By: John August

Critics Consensus: Judd Apatow definitely delivers funny and perceptive scenes in This is 40, even if they are buried in aimless self-indulgence.

Synopsis: After many years of marriage, Pete (Paul Rudd) is the sole male in a household that includes his wife, Debbie (Leslie Mann), and two young... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox

Directed By: Judd Apatow

Critics Consensus: Life of the Party's good-natured humor and abundance of onscreen talent aren't enough to make up for jumbled direction and a script that misses far more often than it hits.

Synopsis: When her husband suddenly dumps her, longtime and dedicated housewife Deanna turns regret into reset by going back to college. Unfortunately, Deanna winds up at... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Gillian Jacobs, Maya Rudolph, Julie Bowen

Directed By: Ben Falcone

Critics Consensus: The messy Pumpkin wastes its premise by not making the satire sharp enough.

Synopsis: Carolyn's (Christina Ricci) sorority sisters set their sights on the Sorority of the Year award and coaching challenged athletes is their ticket to the trophy.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Christina Ricci, Hank Harris, Brenda Blethyn, Dominique Swain

Directed By: Adam Larson Broder, Anthony Abrams

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: When Stanley met Diana, he hadn't been on a date in years. She was easily the most appealing woman he'd ever seen. For months now,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Luke Wilson, Denise Richards, Jay Lacopo, Ben Affleck

Directed By: Jordan Brady

Critics Consensus: You won't need Superintelligence to steer clear of the latest forgettable comedy to fail to take full advantage of Melissa McCarthy's talents.

Synopsis: When an all-powerful Superintelligence, played by James Cordon, chooses to study the most average person on Earth, Carol Peters, played by Melissa McCarthy, the fate... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, Brian Tyree Henry, James Corden

Directed By: Ben Falcone

Critics Consensus: Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel make a charming couple with plenty of chemistry, but that isn't enough to make up for Life as We Know It's formulaic plot and poorly written script.

Synopsis: After a disastrous first date, the only things Holly Berenson and Eric Messer have in common are mutual dislike and their love for their goddaughter,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Christina Hendricks

Directed By: Greg Berlanti

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: As a buffet of quirky contestants prepares for the renowned Van Rookle Farms Cooking Contest, the heat is on to win a $1 million prize.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cathryn Michon, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone

Directed By: Guy Shalem, Cathryn Michon

Critics Consensus: Melissa McCarthy remains an engaging screen presence, but her efforts aren't enough to keep the jumbled Tammy on track.

Synopsis: For Tammy (Melissa McCarthy), a burger-joint waitress, a bad day keeps getting worse. She wrecks her car, loses her job and finds her husband in... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Allison Janney

Directed By: Ben Falcone

Critics Consensus: The Happytime Murders wastes its intriguingly transgressive premise on a witless comedy that blindly pushes buttons instead of attempting to tell an entertaining story.

Synopsis: Detective Phil Philips is a down-on-his-luck puppet who used to work for the Los Angeles Police Department. When two puppets from an old TV show... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph, Leslie David Baker

Directed By: Brian Henson

Critics Consensus: With three talented leads struggling to prop up a sagging story, The Kitchen is a jumbled crime thriller in urgent need of some heavy-duty renovation.

Synopsis: Between 8th Ave. and the Hudson River, the Irish mafia runs 20 blocks of a tough New York City neighborhood known as Hell's Kitchen. But... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Domhnall Gleeson

Directed By: Andrea Berloff

Critics Consensus: Melissa McCarthy remains as fiercely talented as ever, but her efforts aren't enough to prop up the baggy mess of inconsistent gags and tissue-thin writing that brings down The Boss.

Synopsis: Wealthy CEO Michelle Darnell (Melissa McCarthy) always gets her way, until she's busted for insider trading and sent to federal prison. After leaving jail, Darnell... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, Ella Anderson

Directed By: Ben Falcone

Critics Consensus: It's got a few chuckles, but Thunder Force is largely a superhero comedy that's neither exciting nor funny -- and an egregious waste of its co-stars' talents.

Synopsis: In a world where supervillains are commonplace, two estranged childhood best friends reunite after one devises a treatment that gives them powers to protect their... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, Jason Bateman, Melissa Leo

Directed By: Ben Falcone

Critics Consensus: Less a comedy than an angrily dark action thriller, The Hangover Part III diverges from the series' rote formula but offers nothing compelling in its place.

Synopsis: It's been two years since the gang known as the Wolfpack narrowly escaped disaster in Bangkok. Now, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha

Directed By: Todd Phillips

Critics Consensus: Identity Thief's few laughs are attributable to Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, who labor mightily to create a framework for the movie's undisciplined plotline.

Synopsis: Florida resident Diana (Melissa McCarthy) has a luxurious lifestyle as the queen of retail, buying whatever strikes her fancy -- and it's all free, thanks... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet

Directed By: Seth Gordon

Critics Consensus: Burying its talented cast and worthy themes under mounds of heavy-handed melodrama, The Starling is a turkey.

Synopsis: After Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) suffers a loss, a battle with a territorial bird (The Starling) over dominion of her garden provides an unlikely avenue for... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Kevin Kline, Timothy Olyphant

Directed By: Theodore Melfi

Critics Consensus: Jennifer Lopez is as appealing as ever, but The Back-Up Plan smothers its star with unrelatable characters and a predictable plot.

Synopsis: Tired of waiting for Mr. Right while her biological clock ticks away, Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) decides it's time to make an appointment at the sperm... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, Michaela Watkins, Eric Christian Olsen

Directed By: Alan Poul