Once a popular and iconic genre, spy comedies have sadly become a niche today. Most of the popular names in the genre were made in the shadows of successful spy thriller franchises like James Bond, and parodied the genre rather than take espionage seriously.
The characters of secret agents and spies in the spy comedies are caricatured versions of Bond and his kin, with over-the-top gadgets and self-deprecating mannerisms. These films remain golden as they freeze the moments in history where parodies were all the rage and hypermasculinity in men was ridiculed. Several of these films also blended elements of romantic comedy to reach out to a larger audience. Here are 10 iconic, hilarious spy comedies that do not take their spies seriously.
10 Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
This iconic spy thriller is popular for its unapologetic humor, which is entirely shouldered around Mike Myers, who plays the wacky special agent, Austin Powers in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Powers is outrageous with his antics and is also a womanizer in his own absurd way.
In the film, Powers is defrosted for 30 years in a cryogenic freeze along with his enemy Dr. Evil, also played by Myers. Both attempt at outwitting each other with outdated tactics, which becomes central to the comedy of the film, along with Myer’s physical comedy. The film was directed by Jay Roach and was the first film of the franchise which has gained cult status over time for parodying spy films, especially James Bond. The genre and the character of Powers can be considered endangered, if not extinct, when slapstick humour has significantly declined in films.
9 Johnny English
Johnny English can be considered a part of the Mr. Bean multiverse, if there is one. The spy action comedy directed by Peter Howitt stars Rowan Atkinson as Johnny English, a dimwitted spy assigned to stop the world-class thief and murderer Pascal Sauvage, played by John Malkovich, from stealing Britain’s Crown Jewels. The character of English is part Mr. Bean and part another spy character Atkinson played for commercials in the 1990s. Several of the gags in the commercial were adapted into the films, especially the character Bough and an incident where the spy misidentifies a waiter and accidentally shoots himself with a tranquilizer pen. Despite mixed reviews, the film became a commercial success in 2004 and added two sequels to the series, which were both a parody and homage to the popular British spy and Atkinson’s own beloved characters.
8 Spy
Spy stars Melissa McCarthy as Susan Cooper, who is a CIA analyst whose task involved saving the suave agent Bradley Fine from dying on his missions. However, when Fine is assassinated, Susan steps in as an undercover field agent to capture the Bulgarian arms dealer Rayna Boyaniv, played by Rose Byrne, and avenge her for Bradley’s death. Spy mostly received positive reviews and grossed $235.7 million over a budget of $65 million. The film also had a star cast including Jason Statham, Jude Law, Allison Janney, and Bonny Cannavale who appear in supporting roles. It was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture, and McCarthy was nominated for Best Actor for her physically challenging performance as an oversized female spy who goes the extra mile to save the day.
7 Kingsman: The Secret Service
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Kingsman: The Secret Service is based on the comic of the same name created by Mark Millar and Gave Gibbons, which follows Gary Eggsy Unwin, played by Taron Egerton, who is recruited to a spy organization named Kingsmen. On his new mission, Eggsy must stop Richmond Valentine, played by Samuel Jackson, who wants to get rid of humanity through eco-terrorism. Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Michael Caine star in supporting roles in the film directed by Matthew Vaughn.
The film is known for its dark humor, stylistic action sequences, and its inventive visual style, which grossed around $94 million at the box office. The film was conceptualized in response to spy thrillers that take themselves too seriously. Samuel Jackson had yearned to play a Bond villain and starred in Kingsman: The Secret Service to play his version of a Bond villain in the quirky spy thriller.
6 Get Smart
Warner Bros. Pictures
Get Smart is an adaptation of the popular television series of the same name, which was popular in the 1960s. The film was directed by Peter Segal and stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart, who was finally promoted to a field agent by the Chief of Control, a US spy agency that is attacked by the crime syndicate KAOS. Smart is partnered with the gorgeous and competent Agent 99, played by Anne Hathaway, who is everything Smart is not. The duo’s contradicting acumen elevates the comedic chemistry in the film, with Anne Hathaway surprisingly complementing Carrell’s comic timing perfectly. Bernie Kopell played Siegfried in the original show and also has a cameo in the film as a motorist.
The film remains an inside joke for The Office fans as Michael Scott, played by Carell, also stars in his own film as a spy who resembles the character of Smart.
5 The Spy Next Door
The Spy Next Door, stars Jackie Chan as an undercover CIA agent who is on a new mission to get along with his new girlfriend and get her kids to love him before he leaves his service. However, one of the kids downloads a top-secret, which triggers a Russian terrorist to target his new family. The film was directed by Brian Levant and was a commercial success at the box office despite mixed reviews. The film mixes espionage and family drama, which added a fresh twist to the Jackie Chan genre of martial arts films. The film also pays tribute to Chan’s filmography by referencing several of his films and his real life.
4 The Brothers Grimsby
The Brothers Grimsby is an outrageous spy thriller starring Sacha Baron Cohen, which should summarize the essence of the film. Cohen plays Nobby, who lives with his girlfriend in England with 9 children. Cohen conceptualized Nobby as James Bond’s brother, and his hairstyle was inspired by the musician Liam Gallagher from the rock band Oasis. Nobby’s stupidity has no end and leads to several moments where Cohen pushes the limits of disgust in comedy. The film had to go through several cuts to get its British theatrical release, and is definitely not meant for the faint-hearted.
3 True Lies
Universal Pictures
True Lies is one of the best spy thrillers that blended with the feel-good niceties of a romantic comedy. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Harry Tasker who is a spy unbeknownst to his family who thinks he is a spy. While Tasker is after an Islamist Jihadist, his wife Helen is on the verge of being in an affair with a car salesman who claims to be a spy. When Tasker realizes his wife’s crisis, he must stop the world from a nuclear as well as save his marriage. The film is an adaptation of the French comedy film La Totale! and became the first film to cost $100 million, grossing over $378 million. The film was nominated for several awards, and Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Actor at the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance as a neglected wife married to a spy.
2 OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies is the feature debut of Michél Hazanavicius which is based on the novel series of the same name written by Jean Bruce. The film depicts agent OSS 117, played by Jean Dujardin, as a mindless Frenchman who investigates his friend’s disappearance in Cairo only to open the door to a web of larger conspiracies.
The film is set in 1955 and portrays the agent as a politically incorrect buffoon insensitive towards race, religion, and gender roles in a parody of spy thrillers rather than a serious take on espionage. The film began the successful collaboration between Hazanavicius and Dujardin, who went on to later collaborate on the critically acclaimed The Artist. The film was praised for Dujardin’s performance and was considered to elevate the genre of spy parodies.
1 Spies Like Us
Spies Like Us takes one back to the '80s, with Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase at the peak of their careers. The film was directed by John Landis and was a tribute to the Road To… film series, which starred Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. The film was shot in Norway and the Sahara and followed Austin Millbarge, played by Aykroyd, and Emmett Fitz Hume, played by Chase, as two bored government employees looking for a thrill in espionage. After passing the CIA espionage program, they enter a top-secret mission in Afghanistan, and later it becomes clear the two rookies are sent to Russia as decoys for a possible nuclear war.
Bob Hope stars in the film in a cameo role, but the film received mixed reviews. However, it was a commercial success, grossing $77 million against a budget of $22 million. The title song was written and performed by Paul McCartney, which peaked at No.7 in the US charts despite John Landis not liking the song.