cult film freak: SPIES LIKE US

Written by James M. Tate / 3/20/2011 / 2 Comments / bernie casey , chevy chase , cold war , comedy , dan aykroyd , eighties , john landis

SPIES LIKE US

3/20/2011 | 2 Comments

title: SPIES LIKE US
year: 1986
cast: Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Donna Dixon, James Daughton
rating: **1/2

This mid-eighties John Landis comedy has Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd as two Washington slackers sent as pawns into Pakistan and Russia. There are a few good moments and a semi-involving adventure, just not many real laughs. Scenes where the boys train as paratroopers in America, and first sent on their mission, exceeds the finale involving a hidden nuclear missile. Landis busily juggles homages of the "Road To" movies (Bob Hope provides a cameo), "Lawrence of Arabia" and (the now dated) cold war espionage, forgetting that a comedy should be more funny than significant. But the real problem are our two leads: while both are likable, it's never clear which is the straight man and which is the goofball. And prepare for the worst closing credit song ever: written and performed by, sadly, a former Beatle.

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Tags : bernie casey , chevy chase , cold war , comedy , dan aykroyd , eighties , john landis

James M. Tate

2 comments:

cdogzillaMarch 22, 2011 at 4:47 PM
Facepalm at 2:52 looks like McCartney's "What've I done?" moment of realization.
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James M. TateMarch 24, 2011 at 1:00 PM
yeah i know, it's SO bad, then again Paul has written some doozies post Beatles, but this takes, and eats, the cake
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