There are many older comedies that I still really enjoy when I watch them. Chevy Chase was in several of those movies. I first saw Spies Like Us many years ago and really enjoyed it. I will leave it on when I find it on television and I still really enjoy it.
Emmett Fitz-Hume and Austin Millbarge were two fairly low level government employees. They both wanted to be spies in the foreign service and ended up at the same exam. They were fully expecting to be in some kind of trouble when instead they were told they were chosen to be spies and sent off for training. In reality, they were actually going to serve as decoys for two real spies. Emmett and Austin managed to bumble their way through several situations and actually ran into the real spies. They discovered that they were all part of a larger plan that would impact the entire world.
There really wasn’t anything complicated about the plot of Spies Like Us even though a few different things were going on. A little bit of time was taken at the very beginning of the movie to set up the need for decoy agents and the idea for promoting two people just to be the decoys instead of using actual agents. It did seem like they wanted to find the biggest idiots they could to act as the decoys. Once Emmett and Austin were chosen, they were sent off for training and time was taken to show that before they sent off on their mission. It wasn’t until late in the movie that the real agents were identified. Every so often, the men who came up with the plan were shown doing something but it wasn’t hard to keep track of what they were up to. I felt there was enough going on to keep things interesting.
When Spies Like Us was made, the Cold War was still going on and the United States and the Soviet Union were still enemies. It made sense that the two countries didn’t trust each other and seemed to be plotting against each other. It had been mentioned at one point how previous agents had been killed while trying to complete the mission, which was a major reason why it was decided to send Emmett and Austin as decoys. Some of what happened related to the mission was rather extreme, but there was some semblance of believability to what was happening, which did make the movie stronger. Several other movies have dealt with the Cold War, but this movie was more unique in the way the subject was handled.
Spies Like Us was a very funny, entertaining movie. Emmett and Austin were both fairly clueless, though Austin seemed to have a bit more sense. The idea of them being spies on top secret missions was extremely funny. The things they were put through for training were very extreme and those scenes make me laugh every time I watch the movie. The way they looked after one particular training session was hilarious. Some of what was done for laughs was a bit silly, but I think they all worked well with what was going on. The movie could be too silly for some people.
Emmett and Austin received the most attention throughout the movie. Emmett had taken the test for foreign service a few times before and was sure he would finally pass so he didn’t bother doing any studying to prepare. He didn’t want to put out any more effort than he absolutely had to for anything. Chevy Chase was really good in the part. Austin was more serious and by the book, but he did seem to loosen up a bit after spending time with Emmett. Austin did seem to be the smart of the two. I also really liked Dan Aykroyd in the part. He and Chase worked very well together.
Karen was someone that Emmett and Austin met while on their mission. She had a few secrets that were shared fairly late in the movie. Even once those things were shared, she wasn’t a very developed character. She did seem nice enough. There was a bit of romance between her and Emmett. Donna Dixon was fine without being anything special in the part. There were times when she seemed to be a tad too serious. None of the other characters were really around that much and were developed even less. Frank Oz, probably best known for performing as various Muppet characters and Yoda, actually made an appearance as the man giving the exam. This is the only movie I’ve seen him in where he wasn’t performing as a puppet character. Bruce Davison and Vanessa Angel turned up a few times without making much in the way of impressions. Bob Hope even made a small appearance in one scene.
Main Cast
Vanessa Angel - Russian Rocket Crewperson Dan Aykroyd - Austin Millbarge Chevy Chase - Emmett Fitz-Hume Bruce Davison - Ruby Donna Dixon - Karen Bob Hope - Golfer
John Landis - Director
I have seen Spies Like Us many times over the years, usually on television. I saw it again on HBO not to long ago and still really enjoyed the movie. I have a DVD version of the movie, but since I don’t have it, I don’t know what type of extras are on it. I will probably end up picking it up someday.
Spies Like Us is a bit silly, but it is very funny and entertaining. This is a good choice when people are in the mood for a good comedy. Fans of Aykroyd and Chase will probably enjoy this one.
They re double agents without a sneaking suspicion of their assignment. But if it has anything to do with comedy, it s sure to be mission accomplished...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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