"Spies like us " is many things in one movie : a Bond parody , a spy movie parody , satire at politics and war satire plus the popular "from zero to hero" plot . In hands of less skilled director it could be a mess , but Landis directs it with confidence and talent. The movie is mostly pure fun , yet the anti-war message is very clear and sounds sincere. "Spies like us" deserve to be placed in one line with "MASH" and "Dr. Strangelove".
The movie is kinda uneven . There are moments when the movie goes for too simplistic humor ( the army training ) like if the writers has run out of ideas . Thankfully there are enough really great moments that will make you laugh out loud – the exam , Afghanistan , aliens and Russians . Some jokes are really intelligent – the "this is non-army satellite" , the MTV teenagers and exploding TV , the "negotiations" between USA and USRR at the end of movie.
Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd are in good form and have great chemistry together . They bring a lot of charm into their characters and I have feeling that without them many jokes wouldn't be that funny. Some of the jokes and one liners , especially coming from Chase feel improvised ( the scene with microphones or grenade). I also have to praise lovely Donna Dixon.
"Spies like us" has some nice special effects that look good after all this time. The cold-war subtext might seem outdated for modern audience . The message the movie is sending is still actual today – the common men want to live in peace and don't hate each other . It's the politicians who look for war and they should be careful , because the consequences might be catastrophic.
Watch out for famous movie directors in small episodes : Frank Oz (the teacher at exam) , Costa Gavras (one of the Russian policemen) and Terry Gilliam (one of the doctors). I give it 8/10.
The movie is kinda uneven . There are moments when the movie goes for too simplistic humor ( the army training ) like if the writers has run out of ideas . Thankfully there are enough really great moments that will make you laugh out loud – the exam , Afghanistan , aliens and Russians . Some jokes are really intelligent – the "this is non-army satellite" , the MTV teenagers and exploding TV , the "negotiations" between USA and USRR at the end of movie.
Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd are in good form and have great chemistry together . They bring a lot of charm into their characters and I have feeling that without them many jokes wouldn't be that funny. Some of the jokes and one liners , especially coming from Chase feel improvised ( the scene with microphones or grenade). I also have to praise lovely Donna Dixon.
"Spies like us" has some nice special effects that look good after all this time. The cold-war subtext might seem outdated for modern audience . The message the movie is sending is still actual today – the common men want to live in peace and don't hate each other . It's the politicians who look for war and they should be careful , because the consequences might be catastrophic.
Watch out for famous movie directors in small episodes : Frank Oz (the teacher at exam) , Costa Gavras (one of the Russian policemen) and Terry Gilliam (one of the doctors). I give it 8/10.