Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs (TV 1988)

In this spoof of spy films, Alan, a U.N. translator, and his kindergarten teacher wife, Beverly, get roped into helping foil a presidential assassination plot by an unlikely G-man-who just ... See full summary »

Director:

James Frawley

Writer:

Edwin Self

Stars:

Harry Anderson, Ed Begley Jr., Wendy Crewson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harry Anderson	...	Freddie
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Alan
Wendy Crewson	...	Evelyn
Linda Purl	...	Beverly
Rachel Ticotin	...	Sonia
Raymond Singer
Brent Carver	...	Gunther
Maria Mayenzet	...	Hilda
Hrant Alianak	...	Omar (as Harant Alianak)
Chris Britton	...	Englishman (as Christopher Britton)
Henry Chao	...	Asian
Louis Di Bianco	...	Captain (as Louis DiBianco)
Anthony Sherwood	...	Dobson
Paul Coeur	...	Maltby (as Paul Jolicoeur)
Sam Malkin	...	Max

Storyline

In this spoof of spy films, Alan, a U.N. translator, and his kindergarten teacher wife, Beverly, get roped into helping foil a presidential assassination plot by an unlikely G-man-who just so happens to look like Alan's old college buddy, Freddie. But before "Freddie" can finger the real hired-gun-a cold-hearted killer with a penchant for using kitchen tools to do the deed-he, Alan, and Beverly must first rule out some strange and unusual suspects!

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Plot Keywords:

spy | rhyme in title | comma in title | punctuation in title

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kémek, rémek és meztelenek

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cineplex Odeon Television, RHI Entertainment, Robert Halmi

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Wheel of Fortune (1983)

User Reviews

An unfunny, lazy and weak spy spoof that screams "tvm" from every scene

Alan is a weak willed translator working at the UN in New York. One day he sees a friend from his past, Freddie, but "Freddie" admits that he is actually a CIA agent who has had surgery to look like Freddie in order to go unnoticed staying with Alan and his wife Evelyn. Evelyn doesn't buy any of it though and just sees it as Freddie up to his usual tricks. Alan though, agrees to held Freddie to uncover a plot to assassinate President Regan by seeking out the identity of a deadly assassin living in Alan's block.

Any film that opens with a "wacky" cartoon immediately worries me because of who it thinks it is aiming at. This isn't a problem in all cases but with SL&NT, it is indeed a shot across the bows because the rest of it is delivered at the same level. Built on a weak premise throughout the story is mostly silly at best and very much relies on the audience's laughter to get by. Sadly there isn't much of this at all, in fact I think I was only slightly amused by the funniest parts of it. The caper at the core of the film is deeply unfunny but there are a few chuckles along the way with a couple of national stereotypes rattling round in the background.

Without anything to work with the cast are abandoned by director Frawley in a very basic farce of a film. Anderson is annoying throughout and never made me even smile let alone laugh. Begley Jr mugs along beside him without adding much while Crewson does the same. Ticotin will be appreciated by male viewers but only for the obvious reason, not for her performance. The support cast fare no better with a load of weak and unfunny characters.

An unfunny, lazy and weak spy spoof that screams "tvm" from every scene and roundly failed to draw more than the odd chuckle from me.