Spies Like Us
Short description
Spies Like Us is a 1985 adventure comedy about two men who work in dull government jobs and are chosen, after a rushed training course, for a secret mission. Emmett Fitz-Hume and Austin Millbarge, played by Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, are dropped into Pakistan with orders to head for the Soviet border, but the assignment they believe they are carrying out is not the one their superiors intend. General Sline, played by Steve Forrest, is among those sending them into danger. The pair blunder through encounters with local fighters, border guards, Soviet agents and a woman posing as a Red Cross doctor, played by Donna Dixon, while racing toward their objective.
John Landis directed; this was the eighth of the eighteen films he directed, following Twilight Zone: The Movie and followed by Into the Night. Aykroyd wrote the screenplay with Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, and Brian Grazer and George Folsey Jr. produced. Terry Gilliam appears in the credited cast as Dr. Imhaus, and Bruce Davison plays Ruby, within a cast and crew numbering fifty-three and one hundred and six people respectively.
Made for 22 million dollars, the film took about 60 million dollars worldwide, a solid return. It rates 6.4 on IMDb from 56,000 votes and 6.2 on TMDB from 735 votes, while a critics' rating of 4.5 out of 10 from 26 reviews sits noticeably below the audience scores, which suggests viewers have been more tolerant of the film's humor than reviewers were.
What's left behind the scenes
- The scenes of the Pakistani deserts were shot in Morocco, and the Tajik Pamir was filmed in Norway.
- The role of Emmett, played by Chevy Chase, was originally intended for Joe Piscopo.
- Later, in one interview, Dan Aykroyd stated that a similar project had been developed for him and John Belushi at one time. The project fell through due to Belushi's sudden death in March 1982.
- John Landis's favorite pastime is inviting famous directors to take on cameo roles. Here you can see the following actors: Frank Oz, Martin Brest, Joel Coen, Larry Cohen, Michael Apted, Terry Gilliam, Costa-Gavras, Sam Raimi, and Ray Harryhausen.
- Actress Vanessa Angel made her debut in this film.
- Donna Dixon is married to Dan Aykroyd.
- The film was originally intended to end with the destruction of the world, but the test audience disliked this idea. The ending was changed and reshot.
- The film was inspired by the series of comedy films "Road to..." starring the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby duo. Bob Hope himself appears in a cameo as a golfer trying to play golf from a tent.
- Paul McCartney's song "Spies Like Us," recorded for the film, reached the Top 10 hits in the United States in early 1986 and also peaked at number 13 on the UK charts.
- The film Emmett (Chevy Chase) is watching is the musical "She's Working Her Way Through College" (1952), which featured Ronald Reagan, who was the sitting US President at the time of the film. Emmett watches the scene with the song "I'll be Loving You," sung by Reagan himself.
- Bernie Casey, who played Colonel Rumbos, previously played the role of CIA agent Felix Leiter in the James Bond film "Never Say Never Again" (1983), which also has a spy theme.
- In 2009, an episode of the animated series 'Family Guy' titled 'Spies Reminiscent of Us' was released, featuring Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase playing themselves. In the plot, after watching the movie, President Reagan appoints the actors as spies in real life and sends them on a mission.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
