Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- breezy
- retro comedy night
- buddy movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film's stars affable but judged its recycled gags, thin character development, and loose screenplay insufficiently funny.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Emmett Fitz-Hume and Austin Millbarge are low-level employees intentionally selected as expendable decoys for a CIA mission.
The two unsuitable agents must survive training and a dangerous mission despite their initial incompatibility.
The plot turns CIA and KGB activity, missile technology, and nuclear brinkmanship into farcical spectacle.
The Pakistan mission features parachuting, crashes, expansive landscapes, and conspicuous military hardware.
Films like Spies Like Us, and why
The Man Who Knew Too Little
shares buddy-comedy chemistry, broad physical humor, and an espionage adventure framework
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
shares Cold War spy farce, mismatched partners, and irreverent action-comedy tone
Used Cars
shares military bureaucracy satire, incompetent protagonists, and large-scale comic set pieces
The Jewel of the Nile
shares 1980s buddy comedy energy, international adventure, and broad slapstick
Movie Details
- Director
- John Landis
- Release Date
- 1985-12-06
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (740)
Cast
- Chevy Chase
- Dan Aykroyd
- Steve Forrest
- Donna Dixon
- Bruce Davison
- Terry Gilliam
- Frank Oz
- Vanessa Angel
- Bernie Casey
- Charles McKeown
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Spies Like Us about?
- Two expendable office drones are sent on a perilous CIA decoy mission, turning Cold War espionage into broad buddy farce.
- What is Spies Like Us like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Spies Like Us as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Spies Like Us violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Spies Like Us as mild.
- What did critics think of Spies Like Us?
- Critics broadly found the film's stars affable but judged its recycled gags, thin character development, and loose screenplay insufficiently funny.
- Which films are like Spies Like Us?
- Films with a similar feel include The Man Who Knew Too Little, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, Used Cars, and The Jewel of the Nile.
- How long is Spies Like Us?
- Spies Like Us runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch Spies Like Us?
- In United States, Spies Like Us is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
