We’ve got a serious girl crush on Melissa McCarthy. The Mike and Molly star is one of a current crop of hilarious women in Hollywood, and we’re loving the fact that funny women are finally getting their time in the sun. Here are five reasons why we think she’s the business…

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THAT role in Bridesmaids 

It’s easy to steal the show in a bad cast, not so when you’re just one of a line-up of hilarious women and men. Such was the case in Bridesmaids, but McCarthy owned the screen every time her character appeared! Her turn as Megan in the 2011 blockbuster was one of the best comedic performances we’ve seen in years.

 

This is how she reacts when she wins an award…

All the funny women together. Epic.

 

She’s now a leading lady

After numerous excellent supporting roles and a strong record in small screen parts, McCarthy is finally getting leading woman status. She’s currently winning rave reviews for her turn in Identity Thief opposite Jason Bateman, proving that you don’t have to be a size zero to rock Hollywood or live your dream. Legend.

 

She’s Irish! (Sort of) 

Yes, we love to claim anyone who once stood within 10 feet of some shamrock as our own, but in this case it’s true! Melissa told Lifescript in 2011 interview that she and her cousin, fellow actress Jenny McCarthy “grew up together in Illinois in a big, Irish-Catholic family.

 

Said family looks like all kinds of fun…

 

Identity Thief, starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, is in cinemas now.