Spies Like Us (1985)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Chris W

  
  Taking inspiration from the Hope & Crosby "Road to" movies (which explains Hope's cameo...his final film appearance), this is the story of two inexperienced desk jockeys who are suckered in to going undercover on a mission in Soviet Territory, unaware that they are… More
  Taking inspiration from the Hope & Crosby "Road to" movies (which explains Hope's cameo...his final film appearance), this is the story of two inexperienced desk jockeys who are suckered in to going undercover on a mission in Soviet Territory, unaware that they are really just expendable, and are being used as decoys. What ensues is a madcap romp through all sorts of exotic places as the two decoys go through one nutty incident after another. Given the concept and the people involved (just look at all those cameos!) I had some very high hopes for this being good. I'm rather upset to report that the film comes up short and isn't as good as it should have been. Oh yeah, I mean, the cast is good, but a lot of the camoes (a John Landis trademark) just feel pointless and silly. However, it is fun trying to spot them all, including Sam Raimi, Joel Coen, Martin Brest, Terry Gilliam, Ray Harryhausen, and even blues legend B.B. KIng. Still though, less fovus on cameos, and more on a stronger story. I did like seeing Chase and Aykroyd together again, and Bernie Casey's supporting role made me happy, too. The film is funny, but it's not nearly as funny as it thinks it is. I'm okay with silly humor, but many of the gags go on for too long and after a while you realize that there's really no plot or story (las if there was supposed to be), and oyu get the feeling that Landis was just banking on the jokes and the actors to carry things along. I wasn't bored though, and I did laugh, but since this is a Landis film, I was expecting something sharp, witty, and brilliant. I don't regret watching this, but I do wish it would have been better .See it if you want, but don't expect it to be great (like it should have been).

• Lucas M

  
  Funny in some part, until the picture show that the script is not so good or funniest.

• AJ V

  
  An outrageous, hilarious comedy with a great cast and director. I love this movie.

• David L

  
  One of my favorite comedies from the 80's.To give you a quick rundown of the plot. Emmett Fitz-Hume and Austin Millbarge (Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd) are two bumbling government workers. Both, however plan to take the CIA recruitment test. After screwing up the worst they could… More
  One of my favorite comedies from the 80's.To give you a quick rundown of the plot. Emmett Fitz-Hume and Austin Millbarge (Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd) are two bumbling government workers. Both, however plan to take the CIA recruitment test. After screwing up the worst they could they are recruited as spies. However they don't know that they're decoy's and that their only purpose is to draw out Svoiet Union defenses so that the real spies can sneak in. After being trained at the hellish camp of Col. Rhumbus (Bernie Casey) they are dropped into Pakistan and end up in Afghanistan. Along the way they are confronted by the Afghani militia fighting the Soviets, Soviet spies attempting to foil the mission, and Bob Hope playing golf. After learning that they're decoys and that the real spies are ordered to launch of missle that may set off World War III, Emmett, Austin, and actual spy Karen Boyer (Donna Dixon) they must find a way to destroy the missile and make peace with the Soviets who think a war is breaking out. Chase and Aykroyd make the film work. Aykroyd plays the more serious of the two characters and figures most of the stuff out. Chase's character, Emmett is made out to be a complete fool and is successful at portraying it. Some scenes are absolutely hilarious including: the Soviet spies capturing Emmett and arguing whether or not to cut off his fingers, the introducing of all the doctors, and the whole alien sequence make up the best of the funny scenes. Spies Like Us is a simple fish out of water story and it works. The actors are able to hold the story together and the comedy is top quality. John Landis shows once again with this film that he is a comedy genius when given the right material.

• Phil H

  
  Genius comedy from two of SNL old classic team, Chase and Aykroyd are at their best here as two inept spies being given the run around LOL! The start of the film is by far the best as you see the two meet up, cheat in an entrance exam, get recruited, undergo training and then dumped… More
  Genius comedy from two of SNL old classic team, Chase and Aykroyd are at their best here as two inept spies being given the run around LOL! The start of the film is by far the best as you see the two meet up, cheat in an entrance exam, get recruited, undergo training and then dumped behind enemy lines haha its one golden funny moment to the next, truely brilliant. The later half of the film does get alittle flat, not quite as good but still better than most films today, Landis has made some glorious films in his past and this was missed by many I believe, shame. TOP film :)

• Tim S

  
  I love this movie. Saw it a million times on TV and I still enjoy watching it when it's on.

• Wahida K

  
  Checy Chase and Dan Aykroyd in one Movie. Love every tiny bit of it, specially the scene where they are asked to save Khan`s brothers life and undergo a surgery. Russian Interregator #1: Why are you here? Emmett Fitz-Hume: Why am I here? Why are you here? Why is anybody here? I… More
  Checy Chase and Dan Aykroyd in one Movie. Love every tiny bit of it, specially the scene where they are asked to save Khan`s brothers life and undergo a surgery. Russian Interregator #1: Why are you here? Emmett Fitz-Hume: Why am I here? Why are you here? Why is anybody here? I think it was Jean-Paul Sartre who once said... how do you spell spell Sartre? [soldier slaps him] Emmett Fitz-Hume: Owww... and let that be a lesson to you.

• Anthony L

  
  Classic 80's comedy the likes we are unlikely to ever see again!

• Cassandra M

  
  Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd put the "F" in funny in the movie "Spies Like Us". There's something big going on in Russia. Two government workers are sent out to be spies in different countries. They go to the Middle East, they head out to Russia to scope out a… More
  Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd put the "F" in funny in the movie "Spies Like Us". There's something big going on in Russia. Two government workers are sent out to be spies in different countries. They go to the Middle East, they head out to Russia to scope out a nuclear missile being launched. Unbeknowst to them, they aren't trained to be spies, they're trained to be decoys(sitting ducks)! The Middle East was a hoot. Hanged upside-down when Emmett Hume(Chase) explained to the people that they're Americans. The first part was funny when they fail to perform the appendectomy to a patient. They got their big break when the attack enemy lines and bomb out the foreign police. It was ultra funny when the two faux spies checked out the missile and the crew-persons who came out of the tent. Anything else would be boring. At least the men ended up being heroes. Funny, side-splitting, and totally non-stop laughter to make this movie worth its while

• Jason S

  
  Very funny movie featuring two of the best comics of the day. They go great together in this flick and it is funny that they didn't do more flicks together. This movie has some great bits in it such as the Doctor scene and the microphone scene. There are plenty more laughs in… More
  Very funny movie featuring two of the best comics of the day. They go great together in this flick and it is funny that they didn't do more flicks together. This movie has some great bits in it such as the Doctor scene and the microphone scene. There are plenty more laughs in the flick and there is a point where the plot falls away and we focus on the comic genius we see on the screen.

• Curtis L

  
  okay. The russian chicks in it are super hot, but otherwise just another 80's comedy.

• xGary X

  
  Occasionally amusing spy spoof carried by the comic touch of the two leads. Forgettable.

• Dean M

  
  This is not very amusing. Though Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd provide moments, the overall script thinly takes on eccentric espionage and nuclear madness, with nothing new to add.

• Stuart B

  
  Great fun, a really fun comedy

• Michael G

  
  This movie's great.

• Juan C

  
  it's has some of it's moments, and it may be funny, but it's just lost on it's own. C-

• Marcus W

  
  Forget waiting for any laughs to come along and just play "Spot the director". Seriously, Raimi, Apted, Harryhausen, Gilliam...they're all in here.

• Doctor S

  
  Chevy's comedy career went a lot better than Aykroyd's (name one good effort besides 'Blues Brothers' & 'Ghostbusters'), but here they are funny at the same time on a project not confined to Saturday night.

• Leo L

  
  Hilarious!

• Sarah P

  
  Funny 80's movie - funny for what it is - its not supposed to be taken seriously.

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