It was only when drafting a list of my personal top hundred films of the decade that I realised something that should've clicked much sooner: Paul Feig is, quite comfortably, one of my favourite working directors today. The American multi-talent has delivered a steady stream of comedy gems over the last decade, notching seven features to date with its eighth on the way.
So, before Last Christmas jingles its way into UK cinemas this weekend, I thought it high time to honour Mr Feig's output and (lovingly) rank his directorial efforts. To note, all of these films have their charm and the top five are solid, solid recommendations from me to you. Without further ado...
7. Unaccompanied Minors
Last Christmas won't be Paul Feig's first attempt to bring some yuletide magic into our lives. His sophomore feature, 2006's Unaccompanied Minors, let the kids run riot in an airport over the festive period with sweet, charming if unspectacular results. Its slim runtime does it the world of good and as a merry diversion after one too many mince pies, you certainly wouldn't complain - but it's also not quite an end-of-year classic and a glass of sherry or two later and you'd struggle to remember much of it at all.
6. I Am David
Feig's directorial debut was a far cry from the work we would recognise as his today, with I Am David focusing on the tale of a boy escaping a labour camp at the end of the Second World War in an attempt to reunite with his mother. It's a well-intentioned effort that, in retrospect, proves Feig's versatility but leans into conventionality a little too frequently to truly work and is weakened a little by an overwhelming corniness.
5. The Heat
With the surprising but winning combination of Sandra Bullock and regular collaborator Melissa McCarthy, the great blend of crime drama and comedy cooks up a scorcher in The Heat. It also features a shining example of what Feig does best as a director - let his talent do what they do best, with Bullock and McCarthy riffing to their heart's content in a bar-set montage. My heart hasn't swelled more than seeing the two leading ladies swaying in each other's arms to Air Supply's Every Woman in the World.
4. Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters' 2016 is a legitimately great blockbuster and I would watch a hundred more of these movies. Thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end, the fabulous female cast (alongside a scene-stealing Chris Hemsworth) thrives in both the comedy and the action, with the general thrill of watching it all unfold more than enough to overcome a handful of minor storytelling flaws. The "Battle of New York" sequence is an utter joy to watch, a euphoric explosion of good feeling: I don't remember beaming at a movie more than the moment the theme song swells and Kate McKinnon takes on those ghosts. Goosebumps, actual goosebumps.
3. A Simple Favour
Feig has always known how to direct his starring ladies and with the splendid Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, he truly excels; the pair have chemistry aplenty with both delivering career-high performances, eating up every bite of this bonkers, uncategorisable experience. An alluring mystery, a nail-biting thriller, a suburbian satire and side-splitting comedy all-in-one, the funny and thrilling A Simple Favour is like a reinvigorating, bitter and refreshing martini.
2. Spy
Action and comedy are not the easiest of genres to balance but Paul Feig does it with such aplomb in 2015's Spy and produces one of the decade's greatest comedies for his efforts. Melissa McCarthy is on top form as Susan Cooper, with a scene-stealing Rose Bryne, against-type Jason Statham and delightful Miranda Hart anchoring this globe-trotting, laugh-out-loud and twist-riddled ride. Endlessly enjoyable and possessing so much rewatch value, Spy would be a worthy number one on any director's list really.
1. Bridesmaids
But Bridesmaids, Feig's breakout hit, is comfortably the decades' best comedy - and one of the best films overall. A crowning achievement for Feig and co-writers Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo, while boasting a career-making turn for Melissa McCarthy (who more than earned that Oscar nomination for her side-splitting supporting work as Megan), Bridesmaids is everything you want in a comedy. With a refreshing, exciting cast and dynamic, lovable characters and a thematic complexity that elevates the laughs even higher, Bridesmaids will - and should - go down as an all-time comedy classic.
I leave you with this: comedy doesn't get better than Melissa McCarthy shitting in a sink, and we thank Mr. Feig endlessly for facilitating such magnificent, high calibre work.