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Spies Like Us

Play trailer Poster for Spies Like Us PG 1985 1h 49m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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35% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Looking for a way out of their mundane government jobs, Austin Millbarge (Dan Aykroyd) and Emmett Fitz-Hume (Chevy Chase) take the entrance exam for a CIA espionage program. Immediately chosen to take part in a top-secret mission in the Middle East by the officious Gen. Sline (Steve Forrest), the new recruits are set upon by Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Soon it becomes clear that the hapless pair are being used as decoys to expose the Russians for a Cold War nuclear showdown.
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Critics Consensus

Despite the comedic prowess of its director and two leads, Spies Like Us appears to disavow all knowledge of how to make the viewer laugh.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Attanasio Washington Post 01/02/2018
That Chase is godawful is no surprise -- he's been running on empty for years with variations on that tired "I'm Chevy Chase and you're not" riff. Go to Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 03/26/2009
Landis never bothers to account for the friendship that springs up spontaneously between these two antipathetic types, but then he never bothers to account for anything in this loose progression of recycled Abbott and Costello riffs. Go to Full Review Stephen Garrett Time Out 06/24/2006
The script is so patchy that most of the genuine laughs are squeezed into the first half; the rest is a rather tacky and confused extended joke about the nuclear arms race. Go to Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 11/30/2023
3/5
…watchable comedy, front-loaded with gags that thin out as conventional spy movie mechanisms take over… Go to Full Review Andrea Beach Common Sense Media 02/06/2018
2/5
Dated '80s comedy has strong language, few laughs. Go to Full Review TV Guide 01/14/2011
1/4
Landis' direction is indulgent, to say the least, with big landscapes, big crashes, big hardware, and big gags filling the screen. What he forgets is character development, that all-important factor that must exist for comedy to work well. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Joel H @RT47793553 May 10 You know, I remember Spies Like Us being a lot funnier. As a kid, I thought this movie was peak comedy, with so many quotable lines and impressive espionage moments. However, when I was showing it to my kids, I kept waiting for the funny to happen. The gags are still there, and the memorable quotes happen, but it all just feels more spread out. And even though the plot made more sense to me now as an adult, it isn’t as clever as I once thought it was. I still like this comedy, but I don’t think I’ll be recruiting it for laughs again anytime soon. I guess that Spies Like Us lives best in my memory. See more Brad H. @twstr988 May 10 Absolutely love this movie. See more Marius C @MComan Jan 3 Honestly, I don't know why the low rating. Is a comedy movie and is fun. Worth watching. See more Dan B. @AverageDan Dec 16 Chevy and Dan at their best See more alan g @agenser Sep 28 A great spy spoof. Chevy Chase and Dan Akroyd are great together. Donna Dixon also good. Vanessa Angel beautiful as always. See more Taiga B @Taiga Sep 19 This comedy has two comedic legends, Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase and sometimes the jokes hit and others it doesn't. From scene to scene, the chemistry between these two is great at times, while in others it seems like they're brothers that haven't seen each other in years. The best scenes have to be the exam scene, the doctor scene and that hilarious operation scene. This movie may not be a classic, but it's still a fun watch. See more Read all reviews
Spies Like Us

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Cast & Crew

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John Landis

Director

Chevy Chase

Emmett Fitz-Hume

Dan Aykroyd

Austin Millbarge

Donna Dixon

Karen Boyer

Steve Forrest

General Sline

Bruce Davison

Ruby

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Spies Like Us

Spies Like Us (1985) Spies Like Us (1985) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Looking for a way out of their mundane government jobs, Austin Millbarge (Dan Aykroyd) and Emmett Fitz-Hume (Chevy Chase) take the entrance exam for a CIA espionage program. Immediately chosen to take part in a top-secret mission in the Middle East by the officious Gen. Sline (Steve Forrest), the new recruits are set upon by Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Soon it becomes clear that the hapless pair are being used as decoys to expose the Russians for a Cold War nuclear showdown.
Director
John Landis
Producer
George Folsey Jr., Brian Grazer
Screenwriter
Dan Aykroyd, Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Warner Bros.
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 6, 1985, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$56.5M
Runtime
1h 49m