TNMC

This site’s design is only visible in a graphical browser that supports web standards, but its content is accessible to any browser or Internet device.

I Spy (2002)

Owen Wilson sure is on a roll, the guy is obviously talented having co-written and starred in the critically acclaimed Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. He is also quite the comedian, proving himself in the highly successful pictures Meet The Parents and Shanghai Noon. On the other hand, Eddie Murphy's recent movies have pretty much bombed at the box office, the only exception to that is Shrek. So what can you expect when these two come together in a spy spoof? Will the result be a smash hit comedy or a dud?

Alex Scott (played by Owen Wilson) is a second rate agent working for the Bureau of National Security (BNS), what he lacks in finesse he makes up in getting the job done. He has just been given a new assignment, to locate and retrieve a missing Air Force stealth bomber, code named the Switchblade. The only problem is that for the duration of this mission, he is required to team up with a civilian, Kelly Robinson (portrayed by Eddie Murphy), an overbearing loudmouth who happens to be an undefeated middleweight boxing champ. Now, they will have to learn to work together to prevent this state of the art technology from falling into the wrong hands.

What can I say? Wilson and Murphy completely lack the chemistry needed to make this movie work. The bantering and the dialogues between them often seem more tedious than humorous, and some of the gags, such as the intimate talk in the sewer and the double agent joke, dragged on endlessly. It feels as if the writers are grasping for material constantly, while having nothing original themselves to contribute. Famke Janssen and Gary Cole does an acceptable job in the roles of BNS agents Rachel and Carlos respectively, and the same goes for Malcolm McDowell playing the arms dealer Gundars, it's just too bad director Thomas failed take advantage of their talents.

Compounding the problems is the absence of a coherent plot. Granted for movies like I Spy one cannot have too high of an expectation, but is it so much to ask for a story that actually makes sense? Don't get me wrong, there were a handful of things that I enjoyed which did not make the experience a total bust, nevertheless, the negatives far outweigh the positives for me to recommend it.

Unfortunately I Spy is just another run of the mill buddy movie, there is nothing original or new here to set itself apart from what you have already seen before. It lacks the pure adrenaline of an action film, and as far as comedies go, I've seen better ones. Fans of Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson will no doubt get a few laughs here and there, but the bottom line is that I Spy is a mediocre fare that pales in comparison to their previous works.

- Zalasta

What do you think?  Talk about it on the Forums