Melissa McCarthy’s latest film ‘Cook-Off’ is actually 10 years old

THE trailer for Melissa McCarthy’s upcoming slapstick mockumentary Cook-Off is released today — but the film itself was made a full decade ago.

MELISSA McCarthy’s next big screen comedy, a mockumentary set in the world of amateur chefs, is actually a reheat of a ten-year-old dish.

Set for release in November, Cook-Off was actually made a full decade ago in 2007, sitting on the shelf for ten long years without a release beyond initial screenings at a select few film festivals.

In that time, McCarthy’s star has risen dramatically — in 2007, she was best-known for her supporting role on Gilmore Girls, but in 2017 she’s one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actresses, taking home $US18 million last year thanks to her string of comedy hits.

The film premiered in 2007 at the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen but seemed doomed never to be released until film studio Lionsgate this year acquired and re-edited it, removing some 20 minutes of footage — and replacing it with 22 minutes of previously unused scenes.

McCarthy plays a stressed chef in the Christopher Guest-esque mockumentary.

The film also features McCarthy’s husband Ben Falcone, her Bridesmaids co-star Wendy McLendon-Covey (who’s also listed as a co-writer) and former Drew Carey Show actor Diedrich Bader as a collection of amateur chefs from around the US competing in a televised cooking competition. Based on the trailer — finally released today — it’s heavily indebted to the works of Christoper Guest, the director and performer famed for genius mockumentaries like Best In Show and A Mighty Wind.

We’re not ones to judge a book by its cover, but the film’s official poster suggests it’s perhaps not going to be a frontrunner during awards season:

Melissa McCarthy's new comedy 'Cook Off' has been on the shelf for ten long years.

Originally published as Melissa McCarthy’s latest film ‘Cook-Off’ is actually 10 years old