The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

Review

117min

Genre:       Action, Comedy

Director:    Susanna Fogel

Cast:         Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux…and more

Writers:     Susanna Fogel and David Iserson

-Synopsis-

After being dumped by a boyfriend she had no idea was a CIA agent, an unassuming young American woman and her quirky best friend turn globe-trotting operatives when they become unwitting players in an international espionage conspiracy . . . with violent and hilarious consequences.

Following in a growing tradition of spy action-comedies, and taking several narrative cues from 2015’s Melissa McCarthy comedy vehicle ‘Spy’ in terms of a ‘regular Jane in irregular circumstances’, American TV actor, writer, director and producer Susanna Fogel hits the Hollywood big time, taking her experiences with relationship stories applying them to international espionage—giving us a female-first over-the-top spy romp with enough hard thrills and laughs to coat a soft sisterhood centre.

Mila Kunis stars as humble supermarket worker ‘Audrey’, living in the city of angels with her kooky but supportive best friend ‘Morgan’ (Kate McKinnon) and recovering from her breakup to the elusive ‘Drew’ (Justin Theroux), who resurfaces with the bombshell revelation that he’s a spy with a target on his back. But when Audrey and Morgan become entangled in Drew’s latest mission, they’re thrust into the dangerous international spy game where no one can be trusted—traversing European capitals while hunted by a dangerous terrorist organisation, and shadowed by MI6 agent ‘Sebastian’ (Sam Heughan).

A quick glance at its trailer should suggest that this can hardly be accused of being a particularly original picture, providing no major surprises when it comes to the story and the irreverent ‘fish-out-of-water’ comedy. It is however more violent and graphic than expected, sitting somewhere between 1995’s ‘Spy’ and the recent Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson violent action-comedy vehicle ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’, and featuring an erratic tone belying a film which is unsure of what it wants to be.

Yet ‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’ falls well short of the frankly achievable standards of the films it emulates and is inspired by, boasting none of a the parodical qualities of a solid spy spoof, and hitting none of the highs of a decent action-thriller.

You might not expect an intricate narrative from an over-the-top action-comedy, but even for this type of film the writing here is disappointingly lazy and unambitious. The story is implausible but unimaginative, silly but not fun, predictable and riddled with clichés that can’t be glossed over by pretending it’s somehow subversive because it’s from a female perspective—and the film as a whole seems to ride on the wave of female representation in Hollywood, but fails to do it justice with the lack of quality on show.

But you didn’t come here for plot, and surely ‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’ makes up for lack of narrative with irresistible action and comedy, right? . . . if only. Sure there are a fair few shootouts, chases and fight sequences, often rather violent but infused with outlandish humour, but there’s nothing particularly creative or impressive about them, and the spectacle actually loses momentum and runs out of steam as the film moves along—leaving us with no great final payoff, but rather a sense of what could have been.

However where the film really disappoints and falls apart is precisely where it should soar, the comedy. Humour is of course highly subjective, and even decent comedies can be hit-and-miss, but this show misses the mark more regularly than a one-eyed, third rate assassin with a gammy leg.

Despite a few genuine laughs and one legit side-splitting moment involving a cameo and a Finnish backpacker, ‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’ just tries too hard and fails too often, occasionally to cringeworthy effect. Fogel and co-writer David Iserson lean too heavily on the comedic talents and signature quirkiness of Kate McKinnon but never give her the wings to fly, while wasting the abilities of the few other genuine comedic performers in the movie.

We’re all for giving emerging talents a chance, particularly when it affords female filmmakers an opportunity to make their mark, but despite her best efforts to balance a story of sisterhood with dynamic action and earthy comedy, Susanna Fogel’s big directorial break fails to impress on all fronts. ‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’ sits uncomfortably between all its narrative elements but fails to make a mark with any, placing it low on the totem pole of spy romps, and a distant ‘also-ran’ when it comes to modern action-comedies.

The Bottom Line…

An unimaginative and tonally flawed outrageous action-thriller, wrapped in an unconvincing tale of sisterhood and friendship, ‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’ sits on the wrong side of hit-and-miss comedy balance and proves unimpressive on the action front—making for a forgettable action-comedy spy romp and an inauspicious move to major Hollywood filmmaking for its writer/director.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Spy (2015)

Melissa McCarthy stars as a bumbling CIA analyst desk jockey turned unlikely best hope of stopping an International Arms dealer, as hilarity ensues when she’s transformed into a globe-trotting undercover field agent in this Spy-comedy action blockbuster from the makers of ‘Bridesmaids’.

Directed by Paul Feig and starring Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law and Rose Byrne among others.

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.