*My review of The Spy Who Dumped Me was originally published on Film Inquiry. Click here to read the original post and check out more great reviews from this awesome site!*
It's something of a minor travesty that Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy never got to make a sequel to Spy. The 2015 secret agent caper was an unexpected burst of gleefully crude fun, succeeding as a silly Bond parody that took itself just seriously enough to work. Plus, it gave us Jason Statham as the unforgettably moronic Rick Ford. It was a true delight, and it's a shame that we never saw more adventures in that world.
Instead, I guess we'll have to take solace in The Spy Who Dumped Me. Even though this film has absolutely nothing to do with that Feig-directed project, it feels remarkably similar in tone and execution. Comedic stars Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon goof around in the middle of a very real secret mission, traveling the globe and stopping bad guys along the way. There's certainly fun to be had with this deeply silly slice of R-rated raunchiness, which boasts two solid performances and a breezy approach to the material. But the film struggles to balance its crass brand of humor with shocking bursts of carnage, failing to add emotional gravitas to such a lightweight affair. Sure, it's enjoyable enough, but the impact is slight.
At the start of The Spy Who Dumped Me, Audrey (Kunis) is celebrating her birthday at a local bar. However, she isn't really in a celebratory mood, mostly because her boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux) dumped her over a text just days before. Morgan (McKinnon), Audrey's best friend since childhood, tries to cheer her up in some ridiculously extravagant ways, but it's not working. She's just too heartbroken by the whole thing.
Of course, Audrey's situation soon goes from bad to worse. At work, she's pulled into a van by Sebastian (Sam Heughan) and Duffer (Hasan Minhaj), who inform her that Drew works for the CIA. By the time Drew returns to explain, Audrey has found herself in the middle of an international conspiracy involving merciless killers, intelligence agencies, and a crime syndicate known as Highland.
Drew is in possession of a powerful flash-drive, which can't get into the wrong hands under any circumstances. With her secret agent ex incapacitated, Audrey will have to travel across Europe with Morgan to ensure the drive's safe passage, fending off malicious villains along the way. Danger lurks around every corner, but Audrey and Morgan have this under control.
Well, maybe.
The Spy Who Dumped Me is absurdly violent, to the point that I was actually caught off guard by the mayhem. And this isn't the kind of exaggerated comedic violence normally found in R-rated comedies. No, this is bone-crunching, neck-snapping, hard-hitting stuff, assisted by more blood and gore than every James Bond movie combined (though nothing compared to the Kingsman movies). The purpose of the viciousness remains unclear to me, but fans of high body counts will love what director Susanna Fogel has done with this one.
While operating in this ultra-violent mode, the film still remains committed to its comedic tone. Even with so many graphic kills and grisly fight scenes, The Spy Who Dumped Me is unquestionably a humorous take on the secret agent genre, focusing more on absurdity than genuine drama. After all, this is a movie loaded with lowbrow humor, featuring an endless barrage of toilet jokes and pop culture references. There's also an Edward Snowden joke in the year 2018. Make of that what you will.
The clash between the hardened combat sequences and the blatant silliness is less destructive than one might expect. Fogel's knack for easy-going storytelling keeps things chugging along, helped by likable characters and efficient set-pieces. The film rarely aspires to be anything more than a piece of solid popcorn entertainment, which is something I find myself respecting more and more in today's movie-going climate. Kunis and McKinnon deliver a few solid chuckles, and it's fun watching them in this fish-out-of-water scenario.
The Spy Who Dumped Me is ultimately let down by its own staggeringly thin story, a tangled, twisted mess of betrayals and double-crosses and spy movie jargon that doesn't hold up under even the tiniest amount of scrutiny. By the end, I just had to roll with the whole thing, trying my best not to think too much about what was happening or why. The stakes are fairly generic and a little unclear, and the plot is pushed forward by a MacGuffin that never really pays off.
The film also can't maintain any real momentum in its second half, buckling under the weight of a hyper-extended running time. Okay, so this film is a good 30 minutes shorter than Mission: Impossible- Fallout, but what's important is that it feels so much longer. As Fogel wraps up the core narrative, any hopes of storytelling economy are abandoned as the film struggles to stick the landing. The whole thing drags on and on, rarely executing character and story beats with any sense of discipline.
Nobody is going to The Spy Who Dumped Me for a slice of high art, but there's a shaggy quality that feels notable. Compared to other films in this niche genre, this buddy spy comedy feels indulgent, diving into too many subplots without nearly enough focus on the overall payoff.
This is undeniably a passable film, the kind of entertainment you would find on HBO late at night. Fogel has a deft touch behind the camera, and the blunt action scenes are violent enough to draw anyone into the film's world. Plus, you can never go wrong with Kunis and McKinnon, a formidable and often hilarious big-screen duo. They've got real chemistry, and I'd certainly watch them in another movie like this.
But of all the words in that last paragraph, "passable" is the most important. While The Spy Who Dumped Me is mildly diverting, is it memorable in any way? No, not especially. Nobody will walk out of this film thinking they totally wasted their time, but this is one of those movies that evaporates from your brain instantly.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (5.9/10)
Images courtesy of Lionsgate
It's something of a minor travesty that Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy never got to make a sequel to Spy. The 2015 secret agent caper was an unexpected burst of gleefully crude fun, succeeding as a silly Bond parody that took itself just seriously enough to work. Plus, it gave us Jason Statham as the unforgettably moronic Rick Ford. It was a true delight, and it's a shame that we never saw more adventures in that world.
Instead, I guess we'll have to take solace in The Spy Who Dumped Me. Even though this film has absolutely nothing to do with that Feig-directed project, it feels remarkably similar in tone and execution. Comedic stars Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon goof around in the middle of a very real secret mission, traveling the globe and stopping bad guys along the way. There's certainly fun to be had with this deeply silly slice of R-rated raunchiness, which boasts two solid performances and a breezy approach to the material. But the film struggles to balance its crass brand of humor with shocking bursts of carnage, failing to add emotional gravitas to such a lightweight affair. Sure, it's enjoyable enough, but the impact is slight.
At the start of The Spy Who Dumped Me, Audrey (Kunis) is celebrating her birthday at a local bar. However, she isn't really in a celebratory mood, mostly because her boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux) dumped her over a text just days before. Morgan (McKinnon), Audrey's best friend since childhood, tries to cheer her up in some ridiculously extravagant ways, but it's not working. She's just too heartbroken by the whole thing.
Of course, Audrey's situation soon goes from bad to worse. At work, she's pulled into a van by Sebastian (Sam Heughan) and Duffer (Hasan Minhaj), who inform her that Drew works for the CIA. By the time Drew returns to explain, Audrey has found herself in the middle of an international conspiracy involving merciless killers, intelligence agencies, and a crime syndicate known as Highland.
Drew is in possession of a powerful flash-drive, which can't get into the wrong hands under any circumstances. With her secret agent ex incapacitated, Audrey will have to travel across Europe with Morgan to ensure the drive's safe passage, fending off malicious villains along the way. Danger lurks around every corner, but Audrey and Morgan have this under control.
Well, maybe.
The Spy Who Dumped Me is absurdly violent, to the point that I was actually caught off guard by the mayhem. And this isn't the kind of exaggerated comedic violence normally found in R-rated comedies. No, this is bone-crunching, neck-snapping, hard-hitting stuff, assisted by more blood and gore than every James Bond movie combined (though nothing compared to the Kingsman movies). The purpose of the viciousness remains unclear to me, but fans of high body counts will love what director Susanna Fogel has done with this one.
While operating in this ultra-violent mode, the film still remains committed to its comedic tone. Even with so many graphic kills and grisly fight scenes, The Spy Who Dumped Me is unquestionably a humorous take on the secret agent genre, focusing more on absurdity than genuine drama. After all, this is a movie loaded with lowbrow humor, featuring an endless barrage of toilet jokes and pop culture references. There's also an Edward Snowden joke in the year 2018. Make of that what you will.
The clash between the hardened combat sequences and the blatant silliness is less destructive than one might expect. Fogel's knack for easy-going storytelling keeps things chugging along, helped by likable characters and efficient set-pieces. The film rarely aspires to be anything more than a piece of solid popcorn entertainment, which is something I find myself respecting more and more in today's movie-going climate. Kunis and McKinnon deliver a few solid chuckles, and it's fun watching them in this fish-out-of-water scenario.
The Spy Who Dumped Me is ultimately let down by its own staggeringly thin story, a tangled, twisted mess of betrayals and double-crosses and spy movie jargon that doesn't hold up under even the tiniest amount of scrutiny. By the end, I just had to roll with the whole thing, trying my best not to think too much about what was happening or why. The stakes are fairly generic and a little unclear, and the plot is pushed forward by a MacGuffin that never really pays off.
The film also can't maintain any real momentum in its second half, buckling under the weight of a hyper-extended running time. Okay, so this film is a good 30 minutes shorter than Mission: Impossible- Fallout, but what's important is that it feels so much longer. As Fogel wraps up the core narrative, any hopes of storytelling economy are abandoned as the film struggles to stick the landing. The whole thing drags on and on, rarely executing character and story beats with any sense of discipline.
Nobody is going to The Spy Who Dumped Me for a slice of high art, but there's a shaggy quality that feels notable. Compared to other films in this niche genre, this buddy spy comedy feels indulgent, diving into too many subplots without nearly enough focus on the overall payoff.
This is undeniably a passable film, the kind of entertainment you would find on HBO late at night. Fogel has a deft touch behind the camera, and the blunt action scenes are violent enough to draw anyone into the film's world. Plus, you can never go wrong with Kunis and McKinnon, a formidable and often hilarious big-screen duo. They've got real chemistry, and I'd certainly watch them in another movie like this.
But of all the words in that last paragraph, "passable" is the most important. While The Spy Who Dumped Me is mildly diverting, is it memorable in any way? No, not especially. Nobody will walk out of this film thinking they totally wasted their time, but this is one of those movies that evaporates from your brain instantly.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (5.9/10)
Images courtesy of Lionsgate
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