What are the best Melissa McCarthy comedy roles?

Whether stealing scenes in Bridesmaids or earning Oscar recognition for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Melissa McCarthy is one of comedy's most beloved and surprisingly versatile stars. Which is her best role?

Bridesmaids

Her scene-stealing performance as the blunt, boisterous Megan earned McCarthy an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, one of the rarest honors for a purely comedic role.

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Spy

As desk-bound CIA analyst Susan Cooper thrust into the field, McCarthy delivered her most perfectly calibrated comedy performance, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy.

2/14

The Heat

Paired opposite Sandra Bullock as the loud, rule-breaking detective Shannon Mullins, McCarthy anchored one of the decade's funniest female-led buddy-cop comedies.

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Can You Ever Forgive Me?

McCarthy stunned critics with her dramatic range as Lee Israel, a bitter literary forger, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and proving she is far more than a comedic performer.

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Mike & Molly

Her Emmy-winning lead role as Molly Flynn on this long-running CBS sitcom established McCarthy as a television star capable of carrying a show with warmth, vulnerability, and comic timing.

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Gilmore Girls

As Sookie St. James, the lovably enthusiastic chef and best friend of Lorelai Gilmore, McCarthy became a beloved fan favorite who helped launch her career before Bridesmaids made her famous.

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Identity Thief

McCarthy's unhinged comedic energy as a charismatic small-time identity thief dragged across the country by her victim made this road comedy a box office hit despite mixed reviews.

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Ghostbusters

As physicist Jillian Holtzmann in the all-female reboot, McCarthy was part of an ensemble widely praised by fans, bringing her signature physicality to the supernatural comedy.

8/14

St. Vincent

Playing an overworked single mother opposite Bill Murray, McCarthy showed restrained, genuinely moving dramatic depth that surprised critics expecting pure comedy.

9/14

Tammy

A road trip comedy McCarthy co-wrote with her husband, Tammy showcases her willingness to go fully physical and unselfconscious in a go-for-broke lead performance her fans adore.

10/14

The Boss

McCarthy played a disgraced corporate mogul rebuilding her empire through a Girl Scout cookie operation, leaning into sharp self-parody of ambitious, abrasive female executives.

11/14

Life of the Party

As a middle-aged woman who enrolls in college after her divorce and ends up at her daughter's university, McCarthy mined warm fish-out-of-water comedy from a relatable premise.

12/14

Thunder Force

This superhero comedy paired McCarthy with Octavia Spencer in a genre parody built around their chemistry, widely considered the best of her collaborations with director Ben Falcone.

13/14

Superintelligence

A cult-curious entry in her filmography where McCarthy plays an ordinary woman chosen by a rogue AI, featuring her natural likeability even in a broadly panned film.

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