Groundlings darling and Illinois-native Melissa McCarthy rose through the ranks of entertainment, working steadily in smaller roles, and eventually as a series regular on the hit sensation Gilmore Girls. Until her breakout role in the buddy comedy Bridesmaids (for which she received an Oscar nomination), she often employed a quieter comedic style in her on-screen efforts, but the unabashed bravery she conveys through her craft—as demonstrated by a shocking kind of humor and heightened emotional intimacy—has since set her apart as a star in the industry.
Her level of success is only further defined by her sharing the screen with husband and fellow Groundlings alumni, Ben Falcone. Their chemistry is palpable, and the body of work they’ve made together speaks to the silly, upbeat style of comedy they enjoy and at which McCarthy excels. Across her projects, she keeps the company of a talented roster of collaborators, starring alongside—each on more than one occasion—Octavia Spencer, Bobby Cannavale, Sam Richardson, and Jason Bateman, just to name a few.
In 2013, McCarthy and Falcone started their own production company, On The Day Productions, and in 2016 welcomed their eldest daughter, Vivian Falcone, to the family business with a spot on the company’s second feature, The Boss, then later in the superhero comedy Thunder Force. McCarthy’s work delights viewers and clearly comes straight from the heart. A larger-than-life performer with an iron-clad grasp on subtlety and nuance, she has made a name for herself with her uncanny ability to deliver reliable laughter in compelling, refreshing, and honest depictions of life. Her creative prowess extends far into her dramatic roles, as well, further emphasizing the scope of her artistic abilities.
With always just the right amount of bilabial stop and good ol’ fashioned body comedy, Melissa McCarthy soars in these highlights from her esteemed and uproarious filmography.
10. Carol in Superintelligence
This Melissa McCarthy sleeper follows corporate-badass-turned-do-gooder Carol—an everyday woman who is selected to establish a baseline for humanity by a superintelligent being voiced by James Corden. Superintelligence is a fantastic, hilarious illustration of how our friendly pocket phones may have the power to destroy our lives. McCarthy’s heart shines so brightly in this film that her character Carol saves Earth and all of humanity from a piece of machine learning originally meant for something else entirely: a Care-Bears-esque animatronic toy.
9. Sookie in Gilmore Girls
Sookie St. James warms her way into the lives of the eponymous two girls through dependable enthusiasm, affection, joy, and humor. It’s a privilege to witness McCarthy in her formative role playing as the whimsical and loving Sookie. Throughout the series, she displays a dedication to imbuing a sense of lightness into her time on screen, from funny antics in the kitchen to her genuine, heartfelt connection with her co-stars.
8. Michelle in The Boss
Acting with her daughter for the first time, McCarthy manages to fool audiences once again with a cold, callous demeanor covering up heavy baggage, before revealing her capacity for love. With a character who once told her former assistant (Kristen Bell) before a date that her ”sweater is the equivalent of a sandwich board that just says, ‘I give up.’ And…‘I never started tryin’,’” McCarthy’s portrayal of a washed up business tycoon embodies the complicated balance between appearance and substance that the talented actor has taken on so exceedingly well in her roles over the years.
7. Diana in Identity Thief
No matter how antisocial and unlikable McCarthy’s characters may seem, they always find a way to showcase the best parts of people. In this role, she plays a crafty criminal without a mooring who, through the consequences of her actions, finds family in an unexpected way. Not in the least bit bereft of her classic, caustic wit, Identity Thief tells a story of compassion and forgiveness, fitting for the range of emotional complexity McCarthy possesses and expresses in her work.
6. Lee in Can You Ever Forgive Me?
“Life is too sad without laughter”—so would say Fanny Brice, Dorothy Parker, and Noël Coward who helped generations of readers find their sense of humor, the author Lee Israel included in that roster of fans. Played by McCarthy, Lee leans into her biographical capabilities to emulate the close, personal letters of these famous writers, forging them and turning a profit. McCarthy plays the heartstrings of audiences and the intricacies of this role, based on a true story, like a fiddle.
5. Ursula in The Little Mermaid
As the scheming, conniving cephalopod known as Ursula, McCarthy delivers grandeur and mischief to the umpteenth degree. Her scene work with the cast of CG ocean critters who surround her in the reimagined film makes for an electrifying performance of the Disney musical’s iconic villainess.
4. Lydia in Thunder Force
Netflix
While I’ve positioned this title higher than some other stand-outs, Thunder Force holds a special place in the significant contribution that McCarthy has made to cinema. I have chosen to exclude quite a large amount of her titles from this list due to the pervasive fatphobic messaging in them, rhetoric which often accompanies strong themes of racism, homophobia, and misogyny, as well. McCarthy’s recent work, especially Thunder Force (written and directed by Ben Falcone), portrays strong, beautiful, confident women. Together with co-star Octavia Spencer, the McCarthy clan raises the standard for comedies today through this goofy, action duo flick.
3. Detective Shannon Mullins in The Heat
Prime Video
Playing the foil to Sandra Bullock’s uptight FBI agent, McCarthy portrays a back-talking Boston cop in this film from the same director as Bridesmaids. Rough around the edges, McCarthy’s character shows no mercy when it comes to neither insults nor justice, providing viewers with another great example of how raunchy she can get while still maintaining a sweet, honorable—and ultimately redeeming—core.
2. Megan in Bridesmaids
In this stellar role, McCarthy grabs the audience’s attention and never lets go. It’s her mastery in taking a bit or a joke to their brink that garnered her attention from the Academy, and set a new bar for how much energy a singular person can bring to an ensemble production. Brash and unfiltered, we get McCarthy at her finest in this career-defining performance which gifted us such scatological gems as, “It’s coming out of me like lava.”
1. Amily in God’s Favorite Idiot
Netflix
A show gone too soon, God’s Favorite Idiot follows a middle-management messiah, played by Falcone, and his outspoken, rebel love interest (McCarthy) as they try to save the world from biblical ruin. McCarthy meets this show’s outlandish plot with a performance of epic proportions as Amily (not Emily, and, no, not Amélie). McCarthy does what she does best by turning a cantankerous, affronting character into a caring love-bug with a deep commitment to humanity.