Posted on: Friday, November 1, 2002
MOVIE SCENE
Campy 'I Spy' may spin box office gold
By Bill Muller
The Arizona Republic
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| I SPY (Rated PG-13 for action violence, sexual content, profanity) Three Stars (Good)
Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy are the perfect spy team in this goofy, campy remake of the Bill Cosby, Robert Culp classic of the same name. Directed by Betty Thomas, Columbia Pictures, 96 minutes. |
Owen Wilson is smart enough to know it pays to act dumb.
OK, he's not exactly a dummy in "I Spy." But his character — slightly bumbling, aw-shucks handsome and endearingly naive — offers the perfect foil for any buddy movie, especially a film featuring an oversized personality like Eddie Murphy.
As he did with Jackie Chan in "Shanghai Noon," Wilson provides "I Spy" with a much needed rudder. While Murphy cavorts around in his usual scene-stealing fashion, Wilson gives an understated but all-around solidly comic performance.
Wilson, who spends his off-hours with Wes Anderson writing brainy scripts such as "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Rushmore," is bright enough to spot a marketable on-screen persona. He's not the slick guy with all the answers, but the likeable everyman who somehow gets it done. As for Murphy, he always works best with a polar opposite, whether it was Nick Nolte's scruffy cop in "48 Hours" or Judge Reinhold's wide-eyed rookie detective in "Beverly Hills Cop." Like every good comedian, Murphy needs a straight man. Otherwise, you end up with "The Adventures of Pluto Nash."
In "I Spy," Murphy embraces his over-the-top character with obvious glee, providing some of the film's funniest moments, such as when he coaches Wilson's romantically inexperienced character through the seduction of a fellow spy (Famke Janssen).
That said, "I Spy" breaks little ground in the buddy-movie arena. It's better than Murphy's last such effort ("Showtime," which co-starred Robert De Niro), but the film goes for the easy laugh rather than pushing in a new direction. It's a loosely constructed vehicle, probably on purpose.
Directed by Betty Thomas, "I Spy" takes its name from the '60s television show starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby as a pair of international spies posing as a tennis pro (Culp) and his trainer (Cosby).
In the movie version, Murphy plays boxer Kelly Robinson, who's recruited by the government to help retrieve a stealth aircraft stolen by the inscrutable Mr. Gundars (Malcolm McDowell), who plans to auction the weapon to the highest bidder.
Wilson plays underachieving agent Alexander Scott, who's trying to escape the shadow of superspy Carlos (Gary Cole, in a sidesplitting turn) while convincing the flamboyant and arrogant Robinson to cooperate.
"I Spy" doesn't take itself too seriously, playing like high camp for the most part. From the beginning, it sports a "Get Smart" kind of feel, such as when Alexander examines the awkward, clumsy equipment in his spy kit and longingly gazes upon Carlos' sleek, sexy gear.
Playing against the "Bond" movie stereotype, Alexander's methods are always a bit goofy. At one point, he and Robinson escape from the bad guys by hanging onto a giant balloon and conceal their identities using black dress socks pulled over their heads.
In "I Spy," goofy works. And no one knows that better than Wilson.
