Synopsis
Yet another classic television series from the 1960s gets a big-screen update in this action-comedy inspired by the Bill Cosby/Robert Culp vehicle I Spy. Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) is a federal intelligence agent who has been assigned to find a particularly expensive and valuable weapon which has gone missing: a special stealth fighter jet which can not only hide from radar, but also turn invisible to the human eye. Scott learns a rogue agent has sold the jet to Gundars (Malcolm McDowell), a powerful and unscrupulous underground arms dealer. After blowing his opportunity to catch Gundars in the act, Scott formulates a Plan B -- it seems Gundars is a rabid boxing fan, so in order to get inside his organization, Scott recruits Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy), a longtime middleweight champion whose ego nearly exceeds his talent in the ring. Robinson is excited by the prospect of a life of espionage, but Scott and Robinson's personalities are like oil and water, and matters are hardly helped by the efforts of less-than-helpful fellow agents Rachel (Famke Janssen) and Carlos (Gary Cole). This adaptation of I Spy was directed by a woman who starred in a memorable television series herself, former Hill Street Blues regular Betty Thomas, who has gone on to a successful career behind the camera.
What Critics Say
I Spy is so inane it wouldn't even fly as a Saturday morning cartoon. Pass this one up and save the price of admission.
Spill.com puts a whole new spin on the "classic" movie review; turning dorky and dry into hilarious and hip. Spill's reviews are high-quality animated videos featuring a regular cast of comic personalities.
Movie News
-
-
'I Spy' Eddie Murphy; the Farrellys Bring Back the Stooges
HOLLYWOOD, Mar. 4, 2001 -- Two big-screen tributes to popular TV series are on the horizon.
Owen Wilson ("Meet The Parents," "Shanghai Noon") has signed a deal to star with Eddie Murphy in Columbia Pictures' comedy "I Spy," directed by Betty Thomas ("The Brady Bunch"). And sibling writer-directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly will create an original story for a Warner Bros. Studios picture about the Three Stooges.
'I Spy' will be loosely based on the NBC TV series that aired from 1965-68 and starred Bill Cosby and Robert Culp. The film version revolves around a top secret government agent (Wilson) assigned to recover a missing jet with the help of a professional athlete (Murphy) who is pressed into service. Shooting has not yet been scheduled.
Wilson, who played Kevin Rawley (Teri Polo's former beau) in "Meet the Parents," has a full plate this year. He is currently sho