I Spy

Rating:
Summary: Funnier Than You Might Think
Review: I Spy is the sort of movie you enjoy in spite of your better instincts. You know the plot is incoherent and embarrassingly banal. You recognize that the action sequences are unconvincing and poorly paced. You sense that not one original idea ever entered the minds of director Betty Thomas, her four screenwriters or the head honchos at Sony Pictures during the conception and production of this entire enterprise. And yet you laugh, because there is something goofily entertaining about two of America's best comedic actors stumbling and bumbling through a good old fashion spy spoof. The fact that the stars have such wonderful chemistry legitimizes your positive reaction. A little.

The leading players are, of course, Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson, who provide the film with a sense of energy and fun that it probably doesn't deserve. Murphy, who appears as obnoxious boxer turned secret agent Kelly Robinson, has lost none of his impeccable timing and inimitable style to age or a recent string of unsuccessful films. Given only assorted rants and dictionary full of curse words to work with, the man uses his vocal mannerisms and body language to wring laugh after laugh out of stale dialogue (and turns in one of the best renditions of "Sexual Healing" you're likely to hear). Wilson is equally engaging as bumbling special agent Alexander Scott, winning pathos and belly laughs as he attempts to win the girl and properly activate his spy gizmos. As these two pros traipse through Hungry, attempting to foil the diabolical scheme of the insidious and thoroughly wasted Malcolm McDowal, one can almost forget that they are watching something formulaic and get lost in the effective repartee and humorous battles of one-upmanship among the leads.

The television series on which this movie is based broke new ground in the 1960's by presenting an African-American (a young Bill Cosby) as a dignified and dramatic leading man. The goals of this film are considerably lower, but it is consistently hilarious and only worth two hours of your life. In today's film environment, you could do far worse.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious! My favourite movie since Lord of the Rings...
Review: Like the Lord of the Rings was pure entertainment, 'I Spy' was pure comedy. The chemistry of Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy is perfect and I couldn't ask for more in a movie...

The movie starts with the introduction of the CIA Agent played by Owen Wilson. He is then confronted with a mission: an invisible ship called the Switchblade has gone missing and it is up to him to get it back. It is in the hands of a criminal mind, however, so this poses a problem. A boxing match is being fought in a week, so the CIA recruits the heavyweight champ Kelly Robinson (Murphy) so they can access the building where the holder of the Switchblade (Murphy calls it a Leafy Bug) is throwing a party the night before the fight.

The story continues with scene after scene of hysterics, and leaves you laughing at the end! All the characters did their job (some were made one-dimensional for humour: for example, the secret agent stud Carlos), and the scenes and gags were well done.

This movie contains probably the funniest scene I have ever watched but the critics and many movie-goers alike have bombed this movie in their reviews...Why? People are too caught up in the 'message' of the story or the 'new ideas' or something 'different'. What they don't see is that this is a comedy and if it makes you howl and you thoroughly enjoy it, then ITS A GOOD MOVIE! If you aren't entertained, then that's your preference and unfortunately the movie is not for you...In other words, comedy is meant solely to entertain, and many adventures-like it or not-are meant to show you the struggles and journeys of certain individuals. If you don't like it, just go see a drama: its going to be the one who gets all the Oscars, but it might not be the one that is the best of quality...

Rating:
Summary: Funny, But Forgettable
Review: Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) is a secret agent who really, really wants to be a special agent. The only problem is, he makes lots of mistakes and isn't exactly what you would call James Bond material. His current mission is to recover a high-tech jet that can camouflage itself so that it appears invisible. The only problem is, Alex has no idea where the plane is. Well, he knows that it is in Europe and that Arnold Gundars (Malcolm McDowell) is getting ready to sell it to the highest bidder. In order to get into Gundars' home and find the jet, Alex has to go undercover - as a flunky of the famous boxer Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy).

Kelly Robinson has only agreed to let Alex tag along because the president himself called and personally asked him for this favor. He certainly doesn't want a white boy with no skills hanging around, but Kelly is willing to give it a go if Alex doesn't get in the way. Unfortunately, Alex has a skill for getting in Kelly's way and, before he knows it, Kelly Robinson is off on a wild ride of madcap escapes, zany stunts, high-tech gadgets, unrequited love, and intrigue while he and Alex hunt to find the jet before is it turned into a weapon against the United States. But who can they trust....?

I thought that this was a pretty funny movie, but there is nothing particularly memorable or fabulous about it. Owen Wilson is pretty hilarious at times, though, especially when he is using his "top secret" gadgets that don't even begin to compare with Carlos' (Gary Cole), the top special agent in the country. Eddie Murphy had his funny moments, too, but I find that his humor is more crass and just obvious. The story was pretty predictable, but the movie had some cool stunts and was fast paced. This is a good rental that most of the family will enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Another tepid entry in the most annoying genre in film today
Review: Oh, boy. Just what I have been waiting for. ANOTHER buddy comedy with an interracial crime-fighting team.
Yawn.

I got back from I Spy about ten minutes ago, and I realized that I must right my review now before the (few) significant aspects slip through my memory and into the pit where movies like RUSH HOUR and BAD COMPANY go.

Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy star as the klutzy boyish spy Alex Scott (could you come up with a more contrived Boy Scout name?) and black loudmouth boxer... uh... I forget his name. Kelly Robinson. It's sad that I forget, since the screenplay has Robinson repeat his own name over and over and over again. How is it, then, that I managed to forget it? Trust me, it isn't a memory problem.

Anyway, Scott is the pushover of the spy world, always screwing up, both with spy stuff and in his social life. He is teamed up with obnoxious boxing champion to, you know, save the world. This time their mission is to uncover the location of a top secret stealth plane that can become invisible both to radar and to the naked eye. It has fallen into the hands of an evil Hungarian terrorist who is about to sell it to an evil Japanese terrorist, who will commit evil terrorists act with it.

Scott and Robinson travel to Budapest to track the terrorists and take sdjjjjjjjjjjjjsd... *snort* Huh? Oh sorry. I fell asleep trying to describe the plot of I SPY

There are plenty of action scenes. And there are plenty of jokes. The problem is that the action scenes are routine and uninspired and the jokes aren't funny. No. Eddy Murphy isn't funny here, and neither is Owen Wilson. Oh wait. There is one genuinely funny scene where Scott uses Robinson's street-talk to pick up a sexy collegue (Famke Janssen, who was better in DEEP RISING).

I could definitely forgive the film's tired, unimpressive action sequences if only the jokes were good, and vice versa. It simply doesn't happen. Owen Wilson has come a long way since he was swallowed by a giant snake in ANACONDA (yielding a post mortem appearance rivalled only by Jon Voight's) and has since almost become a Hollywood star. I don't blame either Wilson or Murphy for doing this project, because it certainly had potential. But their talents are wasted by the screenplay and ACTION-FLICK-101 direction. Wilson's normally-loveable bumbling charm is exploited to the point of irritation. Murphy is just plain obnoxious. The scenes in which they bicker incessantly are supposed to be funny, but they are so overblown that you can't even hear what either is saying. Which is just as well: I doubt the dialogue they are supposed to be relating is any more entertaining than the sound of their babble.

I don't even feel obligated to mention that this is based on a 1960's TV show of the same title, because this movie has nothing to do with the series. It was a waste of money obtaining the rights to use the show's title and premise; besides the title, no one would have noticed the inspiration.

There was no reason to make this movie, and if you have seen RUSH HOUR, BAD COMPANY, SHANGHAI NOON, or any other such movie, there is really no reason to see it. Just recently we had movies like The Tuxedo, and there will soon be NATIONAL SECURITY and SHANGHAI KNIGHTS.

For a genre that was dead in the first place, it sure it taking a long time to die out.

Rating:
Summary: Witless and botched remake of the 60s series.
Review: This movie is absolutely dreadful by a longshot.

Basically, it's about a special jet that uses state of the art technology to become invisible and is stolen by foreign renegade terrorists and two spies are sent to recover the jet.

The script of this movie is absolutely weak and atrocious to the extent that nothing can save an already unworthy film. Eddie Murphy's character in this movie comes off as being rude, and extremely annoying. Famke Janssen really blew it with a very weak performance. Malcolm McDowell also falls flat on this one and Owen Wilson fares little better. I love all of these actors but the lousy script inhibits any chance of them really beinging forth anything worth watching on this movie.

This movie could really have been great but is totally wasted on weak dialogue and unfunny jokes. They had a chance to really make a good remake but they really blew it with "I Spy".

Avoid this movie. All of the cast have done much better on other movies.

Rating:
Summary: What did you expect? James Bond?
Review: Let's face it. You buy these sorts of films because you do not have to think much while watching them. You pick them up in the DVD store and you throw them on and you sit down and let your brain relax and hopefully have a few laughs at some stupidity that never takes itself too seriously. Does I Spy deliver on that? Yes, but obviously nothing more than that. I Spy is just another Murphy vehicle like SHOWTIME. It's a no-brainer, with a little bit of action and a few laughs that are hit or miss. Owen Wilson is always fun to watch and there is more than just a dash of his comic character that we saw in Shanghai Noon / Knights. However it is NO Shanghai by a long shot because it is just not as funny and Chan can do the action a way better.

This is just standard popcorn cannon-fodder that was probably filmed and put together in less than a month. Its pure garbage, but it never tries to be anything more than that. If you want to see Murphy cussin' then go watch one of his many adult films again. If you want to see Murphy do some 12 rated stuff then you will find that here. For those looking for Murphy playing to kids then go elsewhere because there is some mild language here with some sexual references but nothing serious.

So if you want to see a "no-brainer put your feet up and have a laugh at actors knowing they are in something that is just stupid as hell" then watch I Spy. It delivers in that department all right.

Rating:
Summary: It was fun
Review: I sat down with absolutely no expectations of this movie. It was far fetched and outlandish, but I took it with a grain of salt. The way it was meant to be taken. For parents: there were a few sexual references and a lot of violence (it is a spy movie). Do not get this movie if you are looking for a serious spy movie, only if you want a fun movie with a few on liners and some slapstick chase scenes. There are better movies out there, but there are alot worse as well.

Rating:
Summary: I Spy a painfully generic action/comedy.
Review: The trailers for I Spy were pretty damn funny, and the movie starred Owen Wilson, a fine comic actor who continues to grow on me with each successive performance. So it's unfortunate I Spy ends up as nothing more than a second-rate action/comedy, severely lacking in thrills, spills, and belly laughs. Undiscriminating twelve-year olds will probably enjoy it, but for most everyone else, this is as routine as spy comedies get.

Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) is a spy who's just been handed a new partner, Kelly Robinson (Eddy Murphy), a selfish, hot-headed, motor-mouthed boxer with a quick temper. Their assignment: to retrieve an important spy plane (which can camouflage, no less) that's about to be sold to terrorist bidders. There's also Famke Janssen as another secret agent whose only purpose here is to spice up the sex appeal (not that I'm complaining).

I Spy's biggest and most glaring flaw is that it's just not very funny. Yes, there are a handful of laughs; I did like the scene where Wilson compared his equipment with another top spy's, and I also liked the scene where Wilson tried to woo Janssen. But aside from the plain fact much of the material isn't funny, the problem is also that there's no sense of continuity or balance; the jokes are thrown around without much care to whether it actually fits the moment, and this has quite a jarring and unpleasant effect on the movie's entertainment value.

The action scenes, which often feel rather padded (much like some of the jokes), aren't any better. There are quite a few requisite chases, shootouts, and fights but the choreography is subpar and the action is so lightweight, you never get the feeling anyone's in danger in spite of the mounting body count. The story's pretty lame, it's all really just a bunch of comic and action setpieces strung together, which would be fine if those scenes worked, but they generally don't.

In many ways, I Spy is a wildly schizophrenic film, never maintaining a consistency with its humor or thrills (or really genuinely delivering much of them), and the same goes with the performances. While Wilson is relatively likeable and charming, Eddie Murphy is just annoying, spending most of his screen time ranting about this and that, usually lines of dialogue that are unfunny and have absolutely nothing to do with the "plot."

Directed by Betty Thomas, it's as if though she never had a firm grasp of the material, trying to put the film together as an action thriller/buddy comedy but never succeeding as either. I spy isn't horrible, but it'll probably make you wish you'd spent your money on something else.
* 1/2 out of *****

Rating:
Summary: Start half way through and it's good
Review: Man, looking at the reviews people really didn't like this one.
Well the first half IS awful. Once Eddie & Owen arrive in Budapest though, things start to improve. Better yet, start the movie where Eddie and Owen are in the sewer, this and the very next sequence with Famke are the best scenes in the film. The action scenes (done by the second unit director) also look so much better than most of the scenes done by director Betty Thomas. Really, the only redeeming factors in this film are the actors, who when they are allowed to interact with oneanother are a lot of fun to watch.

The DVD: Nothing great here. The featurettes are boring. And the commentary is surely one of the worst I've ever heard. I hate it when 5 people talk at the same time and none of them can remember any details (like people's names).

Rent this DVD and watch it and enjoy it for the scenes with Owen and Eddie, but skip the rest.

Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilso have barely any chemistry but this is a great movie. peace out.