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!
#1
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
98%
#1
Adjusted Score: 115709%
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
#2
Spy (2015)
95%
#2
Adjusted Score: 107625%
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
#3
Bridesmaids (2011)
89%
#3
Adjusted Score: 101136%
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
#4
Ghostbusters (2016)
74%
#4
Adjusted Score: 93133%
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
#5
The Heat (2013)
65%
#5
Adjusted Score: 73252%
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
#6
The Nines (2007)
63%
Adjusted Score: 64699%
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
#7
This Is 40 (2012)
52%
#7
Adjusted Score: 62517%
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
#8
Life of the Party (2018)
38%
#8
Adjusted Score: 46004%
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
#9
Pumpkin (2002)
36%
#9
Adjusted Score: 37897%
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
#10
The Third Wheel (2002)
33%
#10
Adjusted Score: 7751%
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
#11
Superintelligence (2020)
30%
#11
Adjusted Score: 33145%
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
#12
Life as We Know It (2010)
30%
#12
Adjusted Score: 35875%
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
#13
Cook Off! (2017)
25%
#13
Adjusted Score: 11790%
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
#14
Tammy (2014)
24%
#14
Adjusted Score: 32530%
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
#15
The Happytime Murders (2018)
23%
#15
Adjusted Score: 36415%
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
#16
The Kitchen (2019)
24%
#16
Adjusted Score: 35990%
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
#17
The Boss (2016)
22%
#17
Adjusted Score: 30966%
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
#18
Thunder Force (2021)
22%
#18
Adjusted Score: 28761%
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... [More]
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, Jason Bateman, Melissa Leo
Directed By: Ben Falcone
#19
The Hangover Part III (2013)
21%
#19
Adjusted Score: 30269%
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
#20
Identity Thief (2013)
20%
#20
Adjusted Score: 27795%
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
#21
The Starling (2021)
20%
#21
Adjusted Score: 23993%
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... [More]
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Kevin Kline, Timothy Olyphant
Directed By: Theodore Melfi
#22
The Back-up Plan (2010)
17%
#22
Adjusted Score: 22739%
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
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