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The Spy Who Dumped Me
(Lionsgate Films/Imagine Entertainment)
By Lucas Allen
Along with having so many superhero movies in one year, there seem to be a lot of spy movies being made more these days.
While we wait for the next James Bond movie to be released next year, we’ll have to settle for the new spy comedy “The Spy Who Dumped Me” to hold us over.
With a title like that, you may expect a romanticized spoof of the classic 007 films. However, you’re actually getting something at the low end of the spectrum that still delivers a far better experience than the 1967 “Casino Royale” misfire.
Audrey (Mila Kunis) is in her 30s and usually hangs out with her eccentric best friend Morgan (Kate McKinnon). Her love life is in shambles after she broke up with her boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux). All of a sudden, he shows up, and it turns out he works for the CIA and was on an undercover mission.
Soon enough, she and Morgan find themselves in Vienna trying to protect a hard drive that’s hidden in a second-place trophy from enemy agents. Being that they’re not spies themselves, all the gunfire and bodies dropping are very new to them.
With no one else to trust, they have to rely on MI6 agents Sebastian (Sam Heughan) and Duffer (Hasan Minhaj) who were on the case with the hard drive. It turns out that the device contains cryptic information being sought after by a terrorist organization called the Highland.
Now the two girls have to work up the courage to complete the mission especially while avoiding a Russian assassin named Nadedja (Ivanna Sakhno).
Though it’s an action/comedy, there seems to be an outrageous comedy and a violent action film competing with one another. The tonal difference is certainly jarring enough that it’s difficult to generate laughs long enough to comprehend the violent scenes.
Some will be left mildly confused by the movie’s structuring and some of the predictable ill-advised twists that occupy the second half.
There are some good action scenes to boot, but coming off of “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and its spectacular stunts makes the action in this movie feel half as amazing. Also some funny moments land and others don’t, so your mileage will vary whether or not you’ll find the movie really funny.
What it all boils down is a modern comedy, much like “Blockers,” that seems to work better on paper than the final product. Still, it doesn’t take away the fact that the two leading ladies manage to make it worthwhile.
Kunis is good playing the straight everygirl character giving humorous yet realistic reactions to everything happening. SNL fans will likely enjoy McKinnon using her impression skills and deadpan delivery that made her a star.
There are also noteworthy appearances by Jane Curtin and Paul Reiser as Morgan’s parents and Gillian Anderson as the head of MI6, who all add to the movie’s highbrow humor.
Ultimately, “The Spy Who Dumped Me” has some good things going for it and some bad things going against it. It has entertaining moments, but suffers from an identity crisis between gritty action and outrageous comedy.
Thankfully, it doesn’t reach such toxic levels of “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” although it’s best to watch this film just to see two funny ladies running around the world doing outrageous stuff.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for violence, language throughout, some crude sexual material, and graphic nudity)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 2.5 Stars (Out of Four)
