Spies Like Us (1985)

Two bumbling government employees think they are U.S. spies, only to discover that they are actually decoys for Nuclear War.

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Dan Aykroyd (story), Dave Thomas (story)

Stars:

Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Mark Stewart

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Stewart	...	Ace Tomato Courier
Sean Daniel	...	Ace Tomato Driver
Bruce Davison	...	Mr. Ruby
William Prince	...	Mr. Keyes
Steve Forrest	...	General Sline
Tom Hatten	...	General Miegs
Chevy Chase	...	Emmett Fitz-Hume
Ronald Reagan	...	The President of the United States (archive footage)
Jeff Harding	...	Fitz-Hume's Associate
Heidi Sorenson	...	Fitz-Hume's Supervisor
Stephen Hoye	...	Captain Hefling
Dan Aykroyd	...	Austin Millbarge
Margo Random	...	Reporter
Douglas Lambert	...	Reporter
Frank Oz	...	Test Monitor

Storyline

Two low-level government employees, Emmitt Fitz-Hume (played by Chevy Chase) and Austin Milbarge (Dan Aykroyd), are chosen for a top-secret CIA mission. They are unsuitable as CIA agents but are deliberately chosen for this reason, as their mission is a decoy one and they are expendable. After being fast-tracked through training they are parachuted into Pakistan where all manner of adventures await them.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | missile | laser | decoy | spy | 

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Taglines:

With spies like these who needs enemies?

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

6 December 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drôles d'espions

Filming Locations:

1308 5th St NE Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,614,039, 8 December 1985

Gross USA:

$60,088,980

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., AAR Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Mono (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Playing Colonel Rhumbus in this spy spoof, Bernie Casey had, at the time, recently appeared in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), where Casey had played American C.I.A. Agent Felix Leiter.

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Goofs

The ambulance, in which Emmitt and Austin escape, has improper markings for the Middle East. It carries Red Crosses, when it should have Red Crescents.

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Quotes

[Surrounded by Ninja warriors]
Emmett Fitz-Hume: Alright. Stop right there... and I'll bring back the sun. Okay...
[Shows a picture from his wallet]
Emmett Fitz-Hume: This is my sister. You can all have her. I hear she's very good.

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Crazy Credits

In the end credits, Bob Hope's name appears on screen and then after a few seconds an exclamation mark is added.

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Connections

Referenced in Family Guy: Spies Reminiscent of Us (2009)

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Soundtracks

SOUL FINGER
Written by Jimmy King, Ben Cauley, Carl Cunningham, James Alexander and Ronnie Caldwell
Performed by The Bar-Kays
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Setting the mid-80's standard...

I loved this movie growing up, and it is one that I can still laugh at today. Chase and Aykroyd have always set the mid-80's standard of what was funny, and this movie proves it. Of course there are flaws, and it probably could've been better...but for what it's worth, I think it's definitely worth owning, let alone watching.

Judging by the comments given about Spies Like Us, it seems most people, in fact, do like it. Of course, it is meant to be a comedy and nothing else. If people were looking for a break-through in film by watching Spies Like Us, then, Yes...you would be let down.

Good characters, akward situations, nice changes in scenery, and classic one-liners....I'd give it an 8, overall.