Review of Spies Like Us (1985) by Grant S — 12 May 2016
A bit hit-and-miss but works, mostly.
Two low-level government employees, Emmitt Fitz-Hume (played by Chevy Chase) and Austin Milbarge (Dan Aykroyd), are chosen for a top-secret CIA mission. They are unsuitable as CIA agents but are deliberately chosen for this reason, as their mission is a decoy one and they are expendable. After being fast-tracked through training they are parachuted into Pakistan where all manner of adventures await them.
Quite funny at times, but also very silly at times. Plot is pretty basic and some of the sub-plots are plain stupid. However, for the most part, it works.
The main reason for this is Chevy Chase. He gets some great lines and delivers them perfectly. Dan Aykroyd is fine as the straight man but it is Chevy Chase that makes the movie watchable.
Another positive is the pace of the movie. It is quite frenetic, so even if a scene is a dead end, it is over quickly and we move onto the next scene. The pace helps to cover up the blemishes.
Not a must-see, but there are worse ways to spend 100 or so minutes.
This review of Spies Like Us (1985) was written by Grant S on 12 May 2016.
Spies Like Us has generally received mixed reviews.
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