The opening ten minutes do a fine job of explaining, within the confines of super-broad comedy, how this woman channeled her feelings of loneliness and rejection into financial success.

What a shame the filmmakers might've really had something. When the neediness overwhelms everything else (which happens around the 15 or 20 minute mark) the effect is off-putting and depressing, and there are no compensatory virtues (brilliantly staged slapstick, well-rounded characters, audacious images) to distract you from how tedious it all is. The movie drains her of any distinguishing characteristics save poor impulse control and pathological neediness. McCarthy's character in 'The Boss,' Michelle Darnell, is a self-help guru and businesswoman extraordinaire who was raised inĪn orphanage where she was repeatedly paired up with possible adoptiveįamilies who all rejected her and sent her back to the care of the McCarthy's other star vehicles have had a bit of this 'please love me' thing, but in general, the less obviously her films go to that well, the more focused and entertaining they are (which is one reason why ' Spy' is a better film than ' Identity Thief').

Like Jonathan Winters, Chris Farley, early Steve Martin and Robin Williams, she shines when disrupting order-when unthinkable desires suddenly seize her characters, or unacceptable thoughts make their way from their brains and express themselves as uncalled-for, bizarre or hurtful observations. She's the kind of actor who can crash through a wall spouting gibberish and make you believe that it's something that a person might actually do. McCarthy is a brilliant physical comic, in a particular mode: id-monster, reptilian brain clowning. If that description were the main motor driving 'The Boss' it might've at least had some zing. I said up top that Melissa McCarthy plays a disgraced businesswoman trying to re-invent herself.

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