Action-packed The Spy Who Dumped Me completely subverts many stereotypes of its genre. Instead of suave, womanizing heroes, the plot is led by two regular girls, who, for lack of a better description, are just trying their best. Six years ago today, the uproariously funny and unique blockbuster premiered in theaters nationwide. Today, we at FF2 look back at the career of the film’s talented director and writer Susanna Fogel. Best known for her realistic, heartfelt, and often hilarious depictions of female friendships, Susanna is a director truly focused on telling women’s stories.
Life Partners
In her film debut, Susanna both co-wrote and directed the 2014 film Life Partners. The movie, which premiered at the Tribeca film festival, showcases a coming-of-age tale about two women best friends approaching their thirtieth birthday. In her review of the film, FF2 contributor Brigid Presecky praises Life Partners’ “reliable, realistic dialogue” and calls it a “timeless story of the evolution of friendship and the ability to adapt to all of life’s changes.” Though the story is classic in many ways, FF2 contributor Julia Lasker also points out the film’s true merit lies in Susanna’s subversion of the romantic comedy genre. “Even though it’s a rom com,” Julia writes, “It centers around Paige and Sasha’s friendship.”
The Spy Who Dumped Me
Similarly, 2018’s The Spy Who Dumped Me, though an action film, finds its heart not in high-speed chases or international schemes, but the friendship between two goofy girls. Starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, the movie’s plot follows two average best friends pulled into the world of espionage quite against their will. In her review, Brigid Presecky highlights the film’s success in its “mashup of genres”, as well as makes a point to categorize it as “a story of female friendship and characters not often depicted in big-budget comedies.” Like Life Partners, Susanna’s choice to both direct and co-write The Spy Who Dumped Me makes it truly her film. Involved in multiple capacities and throughout every stage of the process, Susanna’s comedic style and, as Julia Lasker refers to it, “feminist flair”, is front and center for the entire film.
Booksmart
In 2019, Susanna co-wrote the modern classic Booksmart alongside other talented women writers Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, and Katie Silberman. As many of us remember, Booksmart was the movie of the 2019 summer. Releasing to instant audience and critical acclaim, Booksmart also secured BAFTA and Writers Guild award nominations for Susanna herself. In a feature on Susanna, Julia Lasker makes a point to write that “though [Susanna] didn’t direct [Booksmart], Fogel’s mastery of the female best-friendship permeates the entire film.” It’s true, as any viewer could spot Booksmart’s continuation of themes and stylistic choices introduced in both Life Partners and The Spy Who Dumped Me. As Julia continues, Booksmart represents “the culmination of her skills depicting strong female leads and nuanced female friendships that she has been building since 2014.”
Cat Person
Susanna’s most recent film, Cat Person, premiered at the 2023 Sundance film festival. The story is a vivid, semi-surreal look into women’s fears, dating culture, stalking, and violence. Though beginning as a romance, the genre quickly jumps to horror, and the viewer and protagonist can do nothing to stop it. Cat Person is an important look into the very real and dark corners of modern women’s lives. Though often known for her comedy, this foray into thriller cements Susanna as a brilliant and multi-talented storyteller.
Television and Beyond
Also in 2014, Susanna broke into the television industry with her creation of the television series Chasing Life. Starring Italia Ricci, the show’s two seasons follow a young journalist’s journey after a cancer diagnosis. In 2021, Susanna returned to the world of television when directing the pilot of the series The Flight Attendant. For her work on the comedy, Susanna was nominated for an Emmy. In 2021, she was presented with a Director’s Guild Award.
Outside of the film and television industry, Susanna is also a published author. Her debut novel, Nuclear Family: A Tragicomic in Letters, was published in 2017. In addition to her other awards and nominations mentioned above, in 2020 Susanna was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Though a large honor, it was very justly bestowed on Susanna, whose work has delighted audiences for the last decade.
Today, we celebrate Susanna Fogel for her representation of women onscreen. In an industry dominated by unrealistic or sexist portrayals of both women as individuals and womens’ relationships to each other, Susanna’s characters feel not only accurate, but familiar. The women Susanna writes and directs feel like close friends, or even ourselves. Thank you, Susanna Fogel, for creating real (and hilarious) women’s stories.
© Reese Alexander (8/3/24) – Special for FF2 Media
LEARN MORE/DO MORE
Read FF2 contributor Sophia Jin’s review of Booksmart.
Watch the trailer for The Spy Who Dumped Me.
Follow Susanna on X.
Check out Susanna’s Instagram.
CREDITS & PERMISSIONS
Featured photo: Susanna Fogel on the red carpet for the premiere of the television mini series A Small Light (2023). Image Credit: Gabriele Holtermann / Sipa USA / Alamy Live News. Image ID: 2PR2ENC
Middle photo: Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon in The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018), directed by Susanna Fogel. Image Credit: © Imagine Entertainment / Lionsgate / Lifestyle pictures / Alamy Stock Photo. Image ID: P35KAB
Bottom photo: Kate McKinnon, Susanna Fogel, and Mila Kunis on set for The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018). Image Credit: © Imagine Entertainment / Lionsgate / Album / Alamy Stock Photo. Image ID: 2F4K2W6
