Spies Like Us (1985)
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35% of critics liked it
(23 reviews) -
54% of users liked it
(33,030 ratings)
Director John Landis helmed this Cold War farce starring Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase as Austin Millbarge and Emmett Fitz-Hume -- two loser misfits who dwell in the lower ranks of the Central Intelligence Agency. Convinced despite much evidence to the contrary that they're prime secret agent… More Director John Landis helmed this Cold War farce starring Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase as Austin Millbarge and Emmett Fitz-Hume -- two loser misfits who dwell in the lower ranks of the Central Intelligence Agency. Convinced despite much evidence to the contrary that they're prime secret agent material, both men keep taking service exams in an effort to win promotion. Caught cheating on their latest round of tests, Austin and Emmett expect to be fired but are instead made full field agents and ushered into intense training. Little do they know that it's all a ruse and that they're about to be dumped in Pakistan to throw Russian spies off the scent of two real agents with an important clandestine assignment. A spoof of the "road" pictures popularized by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, the film features a cameo by the latter as his golf-playing self. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Landis, James Landis
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Dec 6, 1985 Wide
- Studio
- Warner Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Landis never bothers to account for the friendship that springs up spontaneously between these two antipathetic types, but then he never bothers to account for anything in this loose progression of recycled Abbott and Costello riffs.
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Stephen Garrett, Time Out
The script is so patchy that most of the genuine laughs are squeezed into the first half; the rest is a rather tacky and confused extended joke about the nuclear arms race.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
There are seeds of something funny in the film's beginning and in its premise, but they are soon dissipated by so little sustained wit, and so much scenery.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Landis' direction is indulgent, to say the least, with big landscapes, big crashes, big hardware, and big gags filling the screen. What he forgets is character development, that all-important factor that must exist for comedy to work well.
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Jason Newman, Bullz-Eye.com
The movie has since become a cult classic; one that those of a certain age and gender have committed to near memory and can spout lines and scenes on command like a new Army recruit.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Chevy Chase
as Emmett Fitz-Hume
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Dan Aykroyd
as Austin Millbarge
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Steve Forrest
as Gen. Sline
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Donna Dixon
as Karen Boyer
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Bruce Davison
as Mr. Ruby
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Bernie Casey
as Col. Rhumbus
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William Prince
as Mr. Keyes
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Tom Hatten
as Gen. Miegs
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Vanessa Angel
as Russian Rocket Crew
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Costa-Gavras
as Tadzhik Highway Patrol
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Tony Cyrus
as Khan
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James Daughton
as Rob Hodges
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John Daveikis
as Russian Border Guard
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Matt Frewer
as Soldier
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Jeff Harding
as Fitz-Hume's Associate
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Bob Hope
as Himself
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B.B. King
as Ace Tomato Agent
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Douglas Lambert
as Reporter
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Christopher Malcolm
as Jumpmaster
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Edwin Newman
as Himself
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Seva Novgorodtsev
as Tadzhik Highway Patrol
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Ricco Ross
as W.A.M.P. Guard
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Heidi Sorenson
as Fitz-Hume's Supervisor
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Jim Staahl
as Bud Schnelker
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Michael Apted
as Ace Tomato Agent
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Martin Brest
as Drive-In Security
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Joel Coen
as Drive-In Security
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Larry Cohen
as Ace Tomato Agent
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Sean Daniel
as Ace Tomato Driver
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Terry Gilliam
as Dr. Imhaus
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Ray Harryhausen
as Dr. Marston
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Charles McKeown
as Jerry Hadley
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Derek Meddings
as Dr. Stinson
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Frank Oz
as Test Monitor
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Robert Paynter
as Dr. Gill
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Sam Raimi
as Drive-in Security
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Bob Swaim
as Special Forces Commander
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Sally Anlauf
as W.A.M.P. Technician
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Laurence Bilzerian
as Russian Border Guard
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Gusti Bogok
as Dr. La Fong
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Terrance Conder
as Soldier
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Garrick Dombrovski
as Russian Rocket Crew
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Erin Folsey
as Teenage Girl
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Heather Henson
as Teenage Girl
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Stephen Hoye
as Capt. Hefling
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Richard Kruk
as Russian Border Guard
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Stuart Milligan
as W.A.M.P. Technician
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Svetlana Plotnikova
as Russian Rocket Crew
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Margo Random
as Reporter
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Sergei Rousakov
as Russian Rocket Crew
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Richard Sharpe
as W.A.M.P. Technician
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Gurdial Sira
as Khan's Brother
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Mark Stewart
as Ace Tomato Courier
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Bjarne Thomsen
as Russian Rocket Crew
- Debbie McWilliams
- Marion Dougherty

