Action movie regular, Gal Gadot, revealed her overlooked comedy potential in this spy comedy.
has proven herself as a skilled action star in countless action, thriller, and sci-fi movies. Playing the titular role in and numerous other DC installments, appearing in the action franchise, starring in the action-comedy , and billed for , she has established herself as an adept action star, whilst maintaining her signature sophisticated and sultry style. We are used to seeing her playing the majority of these roles straight, which the spy comedy
, directed by Greg Mottola, allowed her to step away from, subverting the recognizable svelte and in-control persona, in order to lean into a more comedic role. In this movie, Gal Gadot is given the chance to show off her comedic chops.sees husband and wife duo Natalie (Gadot) and Tim Jones (Jon Hamm) move into Karen (Isla Fisher) and Jeff Gaffney's (Zach Galifianakis) suburban neighborhood. This couple, with their traditional good looks, style, and charm, enchant Jeff but make Karen suspicious. It turns out that Karen's instincts were right, and as undercover spies, the Joneses certainly aren't all that they seem.
However, this cover is just one part of the duplicity, and Gal Gadot's comedy artistry in this movie is to play with this duplicitousness: acting the part of a suburban housewife goddess, whilst her true spy self is desperate to burst out.In our first proper introduction to the Joneses, Jeff arrives back from work to find that Karen has invited Natalie and Tim into their home. Gadot as Natalie greets Jeffwith a sparkling smile, and an upbeat sing-song "We're the Joneses," summing up their projected wholesome image as a couple.
With her white dress and cardigan, Natalie is almost the image of purity and innocence - but the cut-out, slightly risqué element of the dress hints at there being something more subversive to her character. Clearly, she is more than just a charming social media consultant, and the sense that there is something else bubbling beneath the surface makes the prim and proper act all the more amusing. It is this masquerade that enables Gadot to get her teeth into substantial comedic acting.
Gadot uses not only subtle head movements to convey her character's duality and trickery. Usually recognized as an action star, audiences can expect a level of physical expertise in her roles. However, as discussed previously, in , Gadot also utilizes her physicality for great comedic effect.
During the community's yard party, Natalie is "taught" by one of the men how to throw a dart - which, for anyone who has seen , is already laughable. She subtly mocks the clueless neighbor by miming how she should throw the dart according to his teaching. Her act hilariously underlines the cliché of a man patronizingly providing an unnecessary explanation, which she immediately shuts down when she proceeds to throw three darts in her style, using an impeccable aim to hit her target.
Later on, the suspicious Karen spies on Natalie and follows her to a clothes store. Natalie catches her in the act in the dressing rooms and proceeds to distract her from her correct assumptions, by speaking and gesturing seductively about the lingerie she is trying on. Using her physicality to tower over the shorter Fisher, Gadot's character uses intimidation to throw her nosy neighbor off the scent. This subverts her usual sensuality and model-like silhouette to comedic means, behaving in this way to mask her true intentions and confuse Karen.
Undercover spy Natalie is clearly so comfortable with the double life that she leads that one of the funniest moments in the movie is when, after a car chase scene, she is placidly discussing a newspaper's sudoku with Tim. However, there are moments throughout the movie when her true self starts to show through, with comedic results. At the yard party, she dresses more provocatively than others, unnecessarily wearing a dress with a very low back, similar to the first meeting with the Gaffneys with her cut-out style dress.
During the course of Natalie's argument with her husband, we see the pretense further dissolve, as Gadot launches into a stream of Hebrew, displaying her character's authentic self, and also using the flow of her native language to convey her domestic annoyance at Tim.
Gadot impresses with her take on the suburban housewife trope, her use of physical comedy, and her surprising vulnerability.
Now that , Gal Gadot's calendar is theoretically freer. So for movies aiming to keep it fresh and interesting: let Gadot have the last laugh.