The Spy Who Dumped Me

Hollywood has produced so many espionage films that there have been spoofs or parodies created to pay homage to this genre favorite. I, for one, love comedies and especially when it's a satire or a parody. We've seen many of these throughout the years: "Johnny English" '03, "This Means War" '12, "The Hitman's Bodyguard" '17 and even the upcoming, "Johnny English Strikes Again" to mention a handful. When I saw the trailer on "The Spy Who Dumped Me", it didn't actually thrill me, however after viewing it, it was certainly better than I expected.

Audrey (Mila Kunis) and Morgan (Kate McKinnon), two thirty-year-old best friends in Los Angeles, are thrust unexpectedly into an international conspiracy when Audrey's ex-boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux) shows up at their apartment with a team of deadly assassins on his trail. Surprising even themselves, the duo jump into action, on the run throughout Europe from assassins and a suspicious-but-charming British agent Sebastian (Sam Heughan), as they hitch a plan to save the world. You see, Drew just happens to be a spy, unbeknownst to both Audrey and Morgan, who is in deep trouble attempting to ward against these assassins in order to deliver an extremely important thumb drive which holds valuable information that could save millions of people. Can he succeed or is he going to bite the dust trying?

Others to round out the cast are Hasan Minhaj as Duffer, Gillian Anderson as Wendy, Jane Curtin as Carol, Morgan's mom, Paul Reiser as Arnie, Morgan's dad, Ivanna Sakhno as Nadedja, Fred Melamed as Roger, James Fleet as Tom, Carolyn Pickles as Marsha and Tom Stourton as Edward Snowden.

This was directed with such realism by Susanna Fogel ("Life Partners" '14) plus TV. Truly this filmmaker's directing talent comes from all the TV she has done. I've said it before and I'll say it again, cutting ones' teeth on TV can help a filmmaker that much better as a theatrical artist. I've seen this time and again. They're not at Academy Award level, but this is where the adage, "practice makes perfect" come into frame. All that I can say is if this is only her second theatrical film in the director's chair, I'd like to see how she does with a few more films under her belt. It was also adequately written by Fogel ("Life Partners" '14) plus TV and David Iserson ("Angry Angel" (TV movie) '14) plus a ton of TV. Where Fogel excels in the directing realm, she lacks a bit in the writing arena. The storyline goes from the present to a year prior and then back and forth, and although this is an interesting approach, there were times where it was difficult to tell where the film was: present or a year ago. Plus, I know that McKinnon's character was a gutsy, loud-mouthed, over-the-top friend to Kunis' shier and more reserved character, but even though it's a comedy, McKinnon's character was just too much to endure considering the situation the two found themselves. Otherwise, this script was fresh and certainly original. It's a nice attempt to an espionage spoof which I see more work by both Fogel and Iserson. The stunt coordination by veteran Gary Powell was simply amazing! Stunts are to be expected in these films, however these were executed with such reality and art.

If the espionage genre is your thing, you will revel, especially parodies of them. The two in the leading roles had great chemistry and especially McKinnon is an expert at physical comedy. This is a fluffy, fun flick replete with action and some funny lines. So get ready for this roller coaster ride.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                  Rated: R                                  117mins.