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| I Spy |
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  (6/10)
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Runtime: 96 m |
| Public Rating: 5.23 (26 votes) |
Director: Betty Thomas |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Action/Comedy |
Year: 2002 |
| Writer(s): Cormac and Marianne Wibberly, Jay Scherick, David Ronn |
| Reviewed by: Dick Douglas |
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The film begins with Special Agent Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) on a top secret mission in Eastern Europe for the fictitious BNS (Bureau of National Security). He is attempting to rescue a downed American pilot from a prison camp, and almost has us convinced that he’s a smooth James-Bondian agent until he causes an avalanche and gets the pilot killed (done in a tastefully humorous fashion of course). Upon returning to headquarters, he is unwillingly paired up with undefeated loud-mouthed boxing champion Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy) for his next mission to track down an invisible American spy plane in Hungary using Robinson’s upcoming fight there as a cover. The two get off on the wrong foot and clash personalities from the get go. What follows is a chain reaction of amusing comic action with decent effects and of course, the requisite secret agent gadgetry.
Thrown into the mix is Scott’s love interest and fellow BNS Special Agent Rachel, played without much effort by Famke Janssen. She’s nothing more than a pretty face and the focal point of the subplot that ultimately brings Scott and Robinson to terms with their differences. The womanizing Robinson even helps Scott try to win Rachel over in a painfully embarrassing scene, but hilarious nonetheless. The one solid supporting performance in this film is by Gary Cole, who plays Carlos, the super secret agent that everyone loves. Cole with a slicked back pony tail, tan face and Cuban accent is about as funny as it gets and anyone that saw Office Space would vouch for his comedic potential.
Based on the 1965-1968 television series of the same name, starring Bill Cosby and Robert Culp, director Betty Thomas deviates slightly from the basic theme of the television show, but keeps the plot and character types similar enough. Wilson is very effective with his unintentionally comedic performance, but his character didn’t quite have me convinced that someone so naïve and accident prone could be a special agent (especially for the BNS!). Murphy on the other hand, was intentionally trying to get laughs in typical Murphy fashion, and was successful as usual. There were moments when I was reminisced of his performances in Bowfinger, which I personally thought was one of his better films. His character was boisterous and egocentric to the point of being over the top, speaking in third person the entire film. However, the two together were effective. Their oddball pairing complemented both actors’ performances just fine.
This film was done in good fun, and that’s all it is. There will be no Oscars this year for I Spy, but I would recommend it if you are in the mood for a solid action comedy. Admittedly, there were scenes where I caught myself laughing out loud. Unfortunately, most of the best scenes are shown in the previews (sorry for the spoiler) but it is still worth the money.
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