- Melissa McCarthy is an Emmy award-winning actress who has transitioned from TV shows to feature films.
- In celebration of her 49th birthday, Insider compiled her movies and ranked them according to their Rotten Tomatoes scores.
- Critics scored most of McCarthy’s comedic films below the 60%, but there are stand-outs like 2011’s “Bridesmaids,” 2015’s “Spy,” and the all-female reboot of “Ghostbusters.”
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Melissa McCarthy is known for her impeccable comedic timing in movies like 2011’s “Bridesmaids” and 2013’s “Identity Thief.”
Although we usually see the Emmy award-winning actress in comedies, McCarthy has also taken on dramas, including 2018’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” which earned her a second Oscar nomination.
Critics scored most of McCarthy’s comedic films below 60%, but there are stand-outs like 2015’s “Spy” and her all-female reboot of “Ghostbusters.”
With news that she’s in talks to play Ursula in Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” and even more movies in the works, it’s safe to say McCarthy isn’t slowing down.
In celebration of her 49th birthday, see what scores critics have given the rest of her films, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
27. McCarthy had a small role in the 2008 romantic comedy, "Just Add Water."
Synopsis: "An offbeat romantic comedy about a decent guy, Ray Tuckby, with a dead-end life in the dead-end town of Trona, California. After encouragement from a stranger whom he happens upon, Ray begins to dream again. He sheds the parasites in his life, musters the nerve to pursue his childhood love, and finally takes back his community by toppling the local teenage Meth-baron."
Rotten Tomatoes score: No score yet
26. She played a loyal best friend in 2008's "Pretty Ugly People."
Synopsis: "Lucy has always used food to escape life's problems, but when this self-titled 'fat friend' lures her group of old college buddies to the Montana wilderness, she reveals a new self - skinny, beautiful, and still flawed."
Rotten Tomatoes score: No score yet
25. She played an amateur chef in 2007's "Cook Off!"
Synopsis: "Amateur 'chefs' from around the country compete for a million-dollar prize in the ultimate food fight."
24. In 2010, McCarthy had a small role in Jennifer Lopez's "The Back-Up Plan."
Synopsis: "A woman conceives twins through artificial insemination, only to meet the man of her dreams on the very same day."
23. She played a con artist alongside Jason Bateman in the 2013 comedy, "Identity Thief."
Synopsis: "Mild mannered businessman Sandy Patterson travels from Denver to Florida to confront the deceptively harmless looking woman who has been living it up after stealing Sandy's identity."
22. In 2013, she played a goth girl who helps Kate Winslet's character re-enact a murder in "The Life of David Gale."
Synopsis: "A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row."
21. She played Cassie, the love interest of Alan (played by Zach Galifianakis), in "The Hangover III."
Synopsis: "When one of their own is kidnapped by an angry gangster, the Wolf Pack must track down Mr. Chow, who has escaped from prison and is on the run."
20. She played a snarky business woman who gets arrested for insider trading in the 2016 comedy, "The Boss."
Synopsis: "A titan of industry is sent to prison after she's caught insider trading. When she emerges ready to rebrand herself as America's latest sweetheart, not everyone she screwed over is so quick to forgive and forget."
19. She portrayed the wife of a New York gangster in 2019's "The Kitchen," which she starred in with Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss.
Synopsis: "The wives of New York gangsters in Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s continue to operate their husbands' rackets after they're locked up in prison."
18. In 2014, McCarthy starred alongside Susan Sarandon in the romantic comedy, "Tammy."
Synopsis: "After losing her job and learning that her husband has been unfaithful, a woman hits the road with her profane, hard-drinking grandmother."
17. McCarthy acted with puppets in 2018's "The Happytime Murders."
Synopsis: "When the puppet cast of a '90s children's TV show begin to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case."
16. She played a Southern mom in 2010's "Life as We Know It," starring Katherine Heigl
Synopsis: "Two single adults become caregivers to an orphaned girl when their mutual best friends die in an accident."
15. In 2002, McCarthy played the main character's cheerful co-worker in the romantic comedy, "The Third Wheel."
Synopsis: "A man accidentally hits a homeless person with his car and then can't seem to get rid of him the rest of the night."
14. McCarthy played the main character's college friend in 2002's "Pumpkin," starring Christina Ricci.
Synopsis: "A sorority girl finds her life falling apart after she develops romantic feelings for a mentally-challenged man."
13. She played a middle-aged mother who goes back to college in the 2018 comedy, "Life of the Party."
Synopsis: "After her husband abruptly asks for a divorce, a middle-aged mother returns to college in order to complete her degree."
12. She played a waitress in the 2000 comedy "The Kid," starring Bruce Willis.
Synopsis: "An unhappy and disliked image consultant gets a second shot at life when he is mysteriously confronted by an eight-year-old version of himself."
11. In 2012, McCarthy played a mom in the Judd Apatow-directed romantic comedy, "This Is 40."
Synopsis: "Pete and Debbie are both about to turn 40, their kids hate each other, both of their businesses are failing, they're on the verge of losing their house, and their relationship is threatening to fall apart."
10. McCarthy played an uptight special agent in the action-comedy, "The Heat," with Sandra Bullock as her co-star.
Synopsis: "An uptight FBI Special Agent is paired with a foul-mouthed Boston cop to take down a ruthless drug lord."
9. McCarthy played a mix of fictional characters as well as herself in "The Nines," which Ryan Reynolds also starred in.
Synopsis: "A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed video game designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways."
8. She portrayed a cheery office assistant in 2000's "Charlie's Angels."
Synopsis: "Three women, detectives with a mysterious boss, retrieve stolen voice-ID software, using martial arts, tech skills, and sex appeal."
7. She played a paramedic in the 2002 drama "White Oleander," starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Renée Zellweger.
Synopsis: "A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion."
6. She played a "paranormal enthusiast" in the all-female 2016 reboot of the classic "Ghostbusters."
Synopsis: "Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat."
5. She played a mom who befriends a mean Army veteran in 2014's "St. Vincent," starring Bill Murray and Naomi Watts.
Synopsis: "A young boy whose parents have just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic war veteran who lives next door."
4. In 2011, she delivered one of her most memorable performances in "Bridesmaids."
Synopsis: "Competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef."
3. McCarthy had her first small role in a feature film in 1999's "Go."
Synopsis: "['Go'] tells the story of the events after a drug deal, told from three different points of view."
2. She played a CIA analyst who becomes an undercover spy in 2015's "Spy."
Synopsis: "A desk-bound CIA analyst volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent diabolical global disaster."
1. She portrayed author Lee Israel in the 2018 bio-pic "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Synopsis: "When Lee Israel falls out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception."