Top 20 Best Melissa McCarthy Moments

Top 20 Melissa McCarthy Moments

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most hilarious moments Melissa McCarthy has given us throughout her illustrious career.

#20: Radio Fun
“Identity Thief” (2013)

When Melissa McCarthy’s character in “Identity Thief” starts vibing to music in the car, Jason Bateman’s character doesn’t seem too impressed. But we are. What’s awesome about this scene is McCarthy’s voice, facial expressions, and body movements. Also, when Bateman’s character switches the station to another music genre, McCarthy continues her singing ways. It’s quite a musical repertoire she displays in this scene. The juxtaposition of McCarthy’s animation with Bateman’s sternness makes this one of the most unforgettable moments of the entire movie. Plus, for those who feel embarrassed to sing with others in the car, perhaps this scene can inspire you.

#19: The Hand Towel
“Spy” (2015)

At a five-star restaurant, one can certainly expect fancy dishes. For someone who doesn’t tend to eat at these kinds of places, it’s even possible they’ll find something that they’ve never seen before. Well, that’s seemingly what happens to McCarthy’s character in “Spy.” When the waiter pours water on a couple of white circular objects, they rise, appearing marshmallow-like. So McCarthy gobbles one up. That’s not food, though. To be fair, they were served on a nice plate. Her ensuing reaction is hilarious. At least she tries to be polite. When Jude Law’s character informs her it was a hand-towel, McCarthy delivers another great line. McCarthy’s heart-to-heart plane conversation with Rayna also deserves a shout as another great scene in “Spy.”

#18: The Alarm
“Mike & Molly” (2010-16)

After Molly quits her job as an elementary school teacher, she focuses on a career as a writer. Her attempt to write her first short story doesn’t quite go as smoothly as one would hope. Molly’s short fuse is on display in this humorous scene as she repeatedly beats a smoke alarm that won’t stop. She even talks trash to it. Finally, just when she thinks she’s eliminated the sound, another alarm in a different room goes off. This is when the scene escalates to even funnier levels as Molly angrily searches for the source with a broom in her hand and yells at the inanimate object.

#17: The Marbles Video Blog

During the mid-2000s, McCarthy unveiled a web persona by the name of Marbles Hargrove. This alter-ego of sorts exhibited McCarthy’s incredible improv skills. The facial expressions, wardrobe, accent, hand motions, and generally arbitrary discussion lend themselves to a silly, yet highly entertaining piece of YouTube content. It might also have generated a good deal of Melissa McCarthy fans before she began appearing in multiple well-known movies. In this video, Marbles analyzes the safety hazards of food as she holds a soft-shell taco. Her ensuing life and eating advice comically counters her previous explanation.

#16: Drunk Sookie
“Gilmore Girls” (2000–07)

McCarthy’s first major television role came in the early 2000s as a cast member of “Gilmore Girls.” Her character, Sookie St. James, is a chef and best friend of Lorelai Gilmore. Her bubbly and somewhat eccentric personality shines on many occasions, including in this Thanksgiving scene. Being the gourmet chef that she is, she gets so irritated by Jackson’s undesired turkey preparation demands that she turns to drinking and ends up getting wasted. The way she enunciates her words and laughs during this conversation with Lorelai and Rory makes it hard for us viewers not to laugh. McCarthy absolutely nails this scene.

#15: Cassie Meets Alan
“The Hangover Part III” (2013)

When Alan and his wolfpack buddies enter a pawn shop in Vegas, standing at the counter is Melissa McCarthy’s character, Cassie. This sets up a funny, and rather peculiar, flirtation. First Alan and Cassie connect by disrespectfully, yet hilariously teaming up on Cassie’s mom. Then things get more provocative after Alan reaches into the lollipop jar. Look at that intense reciprocated stare between Alan and Cassie as he removes the lollipop from his mouth and extends it into hers. While this is a minor role for McCarthy, it takes nothing away from the fact that she crushes it.

#14: Hidden Valley Ranch
“Saturday Night Live” (1975–)

Who knew someone could be such a massive fan of a salad dressing brand? Well, that’s what McCarthy shows us in this hysterical SNL skit. From the get-go, you can tell just how pumped her character Linda is for this Hidden Valley Ranch taste test. Her excessively enthusiastic and ridiculous comments cause the others in the room to become more and more uncomfortable as the taste tests continue. Linda really wants to win that cash. The tipping point of this amazing comedic performance is when she goes for the entire bottle. Sharp-eyed viewers might also recognize that Spock shirt from another moment on our list.

#13: The Fast Food Restaurant Robbery
“Tammy” (2014)

It might be a silly scene, but when Melissa McCarthy’s character robs a burger place in “Tammy,” the way she does it is in line with her character’s persona. It’s not just any burger joint either; it’s the same fast food chain she used to work for. Her first couple of attempts at hopping over the counter don’t quite go as planned. With a brown bag over her head and a bag that’s a pretend weapon over her arm, Tammy is insistent that her demands be met. What really makes the humor sizzle in this scene is her failed attempt to be intimidating. After Larry offers Tammy apple pies and they exchange salutes, she struggles to lock the door to cap off her not-so-terrifying robbery.

#12: Ordering at the Diner
“Identity Thief” (2013)

Not only is the diner scene in this movie an exemplary display of McCarthy’s acting abilities, but it’s also extremely funny. As she gets into an argument with her fake husband Sandy about what she can and can’t eat, the waitress gets caught in the middle. Wouldn’t wanna be her at that moment. Diana, McCarthy’s character, delivers several awesome lines during this interaction. This includes fabricating an accident that Sandy supposedly suffered and insinuating that she eats a lot because of what’s happened to Sandy. Diana pours out her emotions as she tells this arbitrary lie. Knowing the characters’ actual relationship at this point in the movie makes this a classic moment.

#11: Outside the Lines
“Saturday Night Live” (1975-)

In 2013, former Rutgers men’s basketball coach Mike Rice Jr. was fired for his inexcusable behavior toward his players. Not too long after, in 2014, Melissa McCarthy played a similarly cruel basketball coach named Sheila Kelly in an SNL skit. Unsurprisingly, she absolutely killed it. Throughout the skit, she is shown cussing at her players, threatening them, and throwing things at them, including a toaster. All this practice footage on the court is funny in and of itself, but her rather blunt and insolent interview explanations make the skit even better. As you might have guessed, it doesn’t end well for the interviewer.

#10: Her Chris Farley Impression
“Saturday Night Live” (1975-)

Chris Farley is a legend we lost far too soon. If only for a brief moment, though, McCarthy managed to channel Farley’s most iconic character. As part of the “Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special,” she donned the persona of Matt Foley and dropped by Weekend Update. From the costume to the aggressive voice inflection, McCarthy embodied everyone’s favorite motivational speaker. In the same vein as Farley, McCarthy turned into a comedic wrecking ball, leaving the Weekend Update desk in shambles. As McCarthy “motivated” Amy Poehler and Jane Curtin, we like to think that Chris was smiling from his van down by the river up in the sky.

#9: Sookie’s Clumsiness
“Gilmore Girls” (2000-07)

Having become one of the silver screen’s most bankable leading ladies, it’s easy to forget that McCarthy rose to popularity playing Sookie St. James on “Gilmore Girls.” As Lorelai Gilmore’s bestie, McCarthy displayed the makings of an up-and-coming talent with loads of potential. While Sookie is a great pal and even better chef, she’s also a bit of a klutz. During Richard’s birthday dinner, Trix is quick to point out a tear in Sookie’s uniform. While we never see what exactly caused the rip, Sookie does her best to recreate the incident through miming. Her over-the-top explanation only raises more questions, but it also showcases McCarthy’s knack for physical humor.

#8: Her Spanx Incident
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (2003-)

From one wardrobe malfunction to another, McCarthy got into a tight situation after putting on a pair of Spanx. Never afraid to poke fun at herself, she had no qualms about sharing the embarrassing story with Ellen DeGeneres. Heading to work while carrying several bags, McCarthy received raised eyebrows aplenty upon encountering a couple of fence-builders. At first, she wasn’t sure why they had such shocked faces. The fact that they wouldn’t look at her from the forehead down caused further confusion. McCarthy eventually realized that her sweater was riding up and her pants were down, revealing the flesh-colored Spanx. It’s a real life moment worthy of a Paul Feig movie. Speaking of which…

#7: Drunken Dancing
“The Heat” (2013)

The success of a buddy cop movie all stems from the chemistry between the leads. In “The Heat,” Melissa McCarthy’s hard-hitting Mullins and Sandra Bullock’s by the book Ashburn make for a winning combination. While these two law enforcers get off to a rocky start, they begin to bond after sharing one too many drinks. Their drunken escapade includes taping their faces and covering a barfly with nuts. Of course the highlight is a dance sequence, which sparks a strip tease and a conga line. In the midst of the frenzy, however, there’s still a little room for slow dancing. And what better way to cap off their wild night than with a toast?

#6: Lip Sync Battle
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (2014-)

If you thought McCarthy’s dancing was hilarious, get a load of her singing chops… well, her lip-syncing chops. Jimmy Fallon was given a run for his money when he went head to head with McCarthy in the ultimate Lip Sync Battle. Fallon got off to a strong start, with his brand new pair of roller-skates. However, McCarthy came firing back with a rambunctious rap routine, leaving “The Tonight Show” host practically speechless. Jimmy stepped it up in round two, as he got passionate with a pillow. Yet nothing could top McCarthy’s “Colors of the Wind” finale, complete with a forest background and a series of props flying at her. Good thing she was wearing goggles.

#5: Emmy Training Day
“63rd Primetime Emmy Awards” (2011)

On the heels of “Bridesmaids” and “Mike & Molly,” 2011 was a breakout year for Melissa McCarthy. This made her a natural choice to announce the 63rd Primetime Emmy nominations. To prep for the event, McCarthy tracked down Joel McHale for advice. While initially reluctant, the “Community” star would teach McCarthy all about being emotionless on stage, boxing with the teleprompter, and… doing his demeaning chores. It made for an unforgettable training montage, even if McHale couldn’t remember any of McCarthy’s previous screen credits. Coincidentally, McCarthy’s own name was announced on Emmy nominations morning, which would translate into a win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

#4: The Principal’s Office
“This Is 40” (2012)

When young Sadie is harassed online, her mother tells off the boy who has been bullying her daughter. Her father only makes matters worse after confronting the boy’s mother, Catherine, played by McCarthy. As Debbie and Pete plead innocent to the principal, Catherine is unable to hold back a tirade of insults, threats, and foul language, dissing the principal in the process. McCarthy ad libbed so many classic lines that they couldn’t all fit into one scene. Fortunately, that’s what we have credits scenes for. Leaving her co-stars in stitches, McCarthy somehow remained in character without breaking until the very end. Even when reduced to a cameo, she still stands out above the rest.

#3: McCarthy vs. Statham
“Spy” (2015)

Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham are perhaps the strangest action duo since John Travolta and Nicolas Cage faced off. It totally works, however, as McCarthy becomes an unlikely super spy and Statham satirizes his tough guy image. McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a CIA analyst who goes from a comfy desk job to the line of duty. Statham’s Rick Ford feels that Susan isn’t well suited for this mission, prompting him to list off his laundry list of badass credentials. Although Ford talks big, Susan isn’t afraid to call him out and stand up for herself. Aside from being equally hysterical, both characters prove themselves to be gifted in the field and in bed.

#2: Sean Spicer
“Saturday Night Live” (1975-)

During his time as White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer was frequently criticized for making false statements and maintaining an all-around hostile attitude. So Melissa McCarthy pulled no punches when she impersonated the political aide on “SNL.” Arguably even more brutal than Alec Baldwin’s take on President Trump, McCarthy portrayed Spicer as a hot-headed bully who is never afraid to break out a fire extinguisher or super soaker. McCarthy’s version of Spicer even managed to be intimidating while wearing a bunny suit. Many Americans were relieved when Spicer resigned from his position, but we hope McCarthy brings back her uproarious impression of him.

#1: The Dolphin Story
“Bridesmaids” (2011)

McCarthy reached another level of fame with her Oscar-nominated performance in “Bridesmaids.” As the outrageous Megan, McCarthy stole several scenes – all of which could have easily topped this list. We just had to single out her introduction at Lillian’s engagement party, though. Breaking the ice, Megan tells Annie about how she busted her legs falling off a cruise ship. Down in the deep blue sea, Megan apparently had a telepathic encounter with a dolphin that stared into her soul. Then just when it seems like this exchange can’t possibly get any more awkward, Megan swears to climb an old man like a tree, solidifying her status as our favorite character.

Let us know in the comments what your favorite Melissa McCarthy movie is!