(Photo by Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection)

All Melissa McCarthy Movies Ranked

Since breaking out on the big screen with her scene-stealing appearance in the hit 2011 comedy Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy has earned a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most fearless — and gut-bustingly funny — stars, proving her willingness to endure even the most awkward situations and ego-bruising pratfalls in follow-up efforts like The Heat, Spy, and Ghostbusters. But McCarthy isn’t just here to make us laugh — she’s also proven her dramatic chops in more subdued fare like St. Vincent and Gilmore Girls, leading up to a Best Lead Actress Oscar nomination for Can You Ever Forgive Me?.

Now, we’re ranking all Melissa McCarthy movies by Tomatometer!

#21

The Back-up Plan (2010)
17%

#21

Adjusted Score: 21951%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Alan Poul

#20

Identity Thief (2013)
19%

#20

Adjusted Score: 27176%

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 --... [More]

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

Directed By: Seth Gordon

#19

The Hangover Part III (2013)
20%

#19

Adjusted Score: 29619%

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),... [More]

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

Directed By: Todd Phillips

#18

Thunder Force (2021)
21%

#18

Adjusted Score: 28619%

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: Two childhood best friends reunite as an unlikely crime-fighting superhero duo when one invents a formula that gives ordinary people... [More]

Starring: Pom Klementieff

Directed By: Ben Falcone

#17

The Boss (2016)
22%

#17

Adjusted Score: 32917%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Ben Falcone

#16

The Happytime Murders (2018)
23%

#16

Adjusted Score: 37715%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Brian Henson

#15

Tammy (2014)
24%

#15

Adjusted Score: 31633%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Ben Falcone

#14

The Kitchen (2019)
23%

#14

Adjusted Score: 36889%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Andrea Berloff

#13

Cook Off! (2017)
25%

#13

Adjusted Score: 15484%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Guy Shalem, Cathryn Michon

#12

Life as We Know It (2010)
29%

#12

Adjusted Score: 34111%

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 (Katherine Heigl) and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) have in common... [More]

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

Directed By: Greg Berlanti

#11

Superintelligence (2020)
31%

#11

Adjusted Score: 34898%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Ben Falcone

#10

The Third Wheel (2002)
33%

#10

Adjusted Score: 7759%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Jordan Brady

#9

Pumpkin (2002)
37%

#9

Adjusted Score: 38947%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Adam Larson Broder, Anthony Abrams

#8

Life of the Party (2018)
38%

#8

Adjusted Score: 45885%

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.... [More]

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

Directed By: Ben Falcone

#7

This Is 40 (2012)
51%

#7

Adjusted Score: 61069%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Judd Apatow

#6

The Nines (2007)
65%

#6

Adjusted Score: 66570%

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,"... [More]

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

Directed By: John August

#5

The Heat (2013)
66%

#5

Adjusted Score: 72204%

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.... [More]

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

Directed By: Paul Feig

#4

Ghostbusters (2016)
74%

#4

Adjusted Score: 92120%

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 (Melissa McCarthy) and physicist Erin Gilbert are trying to prove that ghosts exist in modern society.... [More]

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

Directed By: Paul Feig

#3

Bridesmaids (2011)
90%

#3

Adjusted Score: 100502%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Paul Feig

#2

Spy (2015)
95%

#2

Adjusted Score: 104508%

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,... [More]

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

Directed By: Paul Feig

#1

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
98%

#1

Adjusted Score: 117278%

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... [More]

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

Directed By: Marielle Heller