S*P*Y*S

The idea of teaming Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould together in a movie must have seemed like a good idea after their success with MASH. Giving them a half decent script would have probably helped a lot though. Instead we have a half-baked spy spoof with our two heroes stumbling along from one situation to another. About the only decent thing going for this mess of a movie is the fact that it was shot mostly in France. Vladek Sheybal as the head Russian spy is also quite good(he just oozes Eastern European charm). Otherwise, some pretty stupid characters, a few decent explosions and a lot of running around. I hope Sutherland and Gould were well paid for this. Note to producers: If you're going to spoof a genre that is no longer in vogue, at least make it funny.

Second lead pairing of Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland (Little Murders saw them together, but with Sutherland in a support role) after the wonderful MASH in what was meant to be some sort of funny spy spoof. Alas, there is no Altmann magic with SPYS and this one sinks like the proverbial stone.

They play a mismatched spy pair who are forced to bond when sold down the river by their various agencies and thereafter chase after some micro-dots. The two still appear to have a kind of improvisational energy, but the material they are dished up to deal with, wouldn't pass muster in an average Get Smart episode. I have to say that I'm surprised the usually very competent direction of Irvin Kershner seems to have gone completely walkabout during the making of this feature. Poorly choreographed and lit action and slapstick scenes! It's difficult to believe this is the same bloke who helmed The Empire Strikes Back 6 years later. SPYS is also lumbered with a terribly annoying musical soundtrack.

In terms of laughs most discerning viewers should find any of the Roger Moore Bond entries much more amusing. And as for spoofs, the later arriving Austin Powers or Johnny English (hell, even the Casino Royale with Peter Sellers) have it all over this clunker. I would love to have been a fly on the wall to see how SPYS was received at Cannes.

S.P.Y.S (2 outta 5 stars)

Pretty lame spy "spoof" that put a kibosh on the possibility of Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould becoming the greatest comedy team of the '70s. The guys are both great comic actors and they have loads of screen chemistry together. If you don't care much for either of these actors you will probably hate this movie... and if you are a big, big fan of either one of them... well, you probably still won't think much of it. Playing a pair of maverick secret agents forced to work together, they start out complaining and bickering but over the course of their adventure (some overly-complicated plot about assassinations, missing diamonds and foreign agents) they begin to get chummy. Sutherland and Gould have charisma to burn but the lousy, nearly joke-free script doesn't give them much to work with. I suppose if this has been a big box office hit they could have continued the franchise and gone on to bigger and better movies together... but, this tanked with audiences and I don't think they two have worked together since. Anyway, I have to add that I have always absolutely loved the last scene of the movie... as our two defeated heroes, in full-out charming rascal mode, skip off down a lonely road together and start singing:

Oh, we don't know what's comin' tomorrow, Maybe it's trouble and sorrow, But we'll travel the road Sharin' our load Side by side

You take it, brother! Through all kinds of weatherrrrr! Did You hear that, Lord? Whether the sky should fall Whether the skyyyyy should fallllll Just as long as we're together It doesn't matter at all...

Great wrap-up... too bad about the first 85 minutes.

Unless you're an absolute die-hard fan of Donald and Elliott, then you might be able to tolerate this movie, but I bet everyone involved in it really regretted doing it. Just as much as you'll regret watching it. They certainly have a great chemistry, and there are a few laughs in spite of everything. My favorite scene is the last one, not only because the movie is over but because Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland's charm together really comes through. A last-ditch attempt to leave the audience with a smile, perhaps.

What can I say? Reading the comments here, it seems no one liked S*P*Y*S-- but me. It tickled my funny bone. The improbable zany story and the antics of Sutherland and Gould hit home with me. I laughed my tail off. Truth is, I'm not that weird. I don't like everything that comes down the pike and if you're looking for something in the wake of the Vietnamese war-- and Canadian Sutherland and New Yorker Gould were both active protesters of that ghastly war-- that rebukes the folly of war, this piece works. Now, if you're looking for some higher form of art, you might want to direct your attention somewhere else. As for me, the ridiculous situations these two guys get into amused me greatly and I enjoyed this movie immensely. Check it out for yourself.