All it takes is one look at a movie poster or preview for “I Spy” to leave people with the feeling they’ve seen this all before: an unlikely combination of heroes working together to save the day and make people laugh as they do it.
They would be right of course, as that’s the idea behind the new action comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson, but the humorous script is strong enough to support this somewhat tired formula one more time, making for an enjoyable experience with a stylish comedic flavor and surprisingly good chemistry between the actors.
The plot, loosely based on the 1960s TV show of the same name, is cookie-cutter James Bond fare, albeit a less serious rendition. A top secret military jet, invisible to the human eye, is stolen, and Alex Scott, played by Wilson, is the special agent charged with the task of recovering it before it is auctioned off and used for a nuclear attack.
The man responsible for stealing the jet is the typically maniacal villain played by Malcolm McDowell. In order for Alex to gain access to the villains, he must team up with boxing champion Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy) to help him get into a party in honor of Robinson’s upcoming fight, the site of the covert auction of the jet.
While the premise is shallow and doesn’t engage the viewers’ intellect, the interplay between Murphy and Wilson is excellent, resulting in plenty of fun segments of clever situational comedy. The humor is blatant and physical and hits more than it misses, but the real laughs are found in the subtleties of each of the characters’ personalities.
Robinson is as arrogant as he is talented in the ring, making Mohammed Ali appear humble by comparison. He refers to himself in the third person, has a throng of people to do everything for him and proclaims his excellence whenever opportunity arises. He likes to see himself on TV as well as hear himself talk – which he does a lot of – often ranting in a rapid speech pattern. Those not listening closely will miss much of what he says, but this is where some of the movie’s funniest lines are buried, and those who catch it will certainly get a laugh from this skillful delivery.
Though Murphy plays the more outrageous character and steals much of the attention, Wilson is an understated comic genius, having all but perfected his brand of nuance-laden comedy. He’s a bumbling secret agent, and has an endearingly childlike way of dealing with the trouble he gets into, often losing focus on the task at hand and making hilarious asides. There’s a charming awkwardness to his delivery, capturing minute facial expressions and hesitations and enabling him to deliver dry lines that still get the audience laughing.
Adhering to the buddy-hero movie formula, Kelly and Alex find themselves immediately at odds, but gradually warm up as they uncover similar qualities in each other despite their drastically different personalities. The movie takes on a somewhat predictable quality as result of the lack of variation from the sub-genre these two actors helped to popularize.
One aspect the movie relies heavily on, but still executes well, is the use of repetition for humor. Early in the movie several situations and “inside” jokes are set up and then played upon later. In the first 10 minutes the audience is introduced to Carlos, a minor character who is made out to be a kind of super-agent, overshadowing the seemingly commonplace Alex, who quickly develops an inferiority complex. The movie continually makes mention of Carlos and his great achievements to point out Alex’s shortcomings, and his growing spite for his co-worker gets funnier with each occurrence.
The biggest problems with the movie lie in the story and plot, as well as the thin development of all of the characters other than the two protagonists. McDowell’s role as the villain is transparent, and the audience is left with no real sense of motivation to root against him other than the fact he’s the bad guy.
Of course these types of comedies often adopt a take-it-or-leave-it quality. The makers of the film know they’ve got some funny actors doing some funny things, and they’re basically looking for an excuse to put them in funny situations. Some viewers will be looking for a greater depth or cohesiveness of plot and will be turned away, but they will be missing out on the real story – two great comedic actors playing off each others’ style of comedy and making an entertaining movie.
