Product Details

• Actors: Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson, Famke Janssen, Malcolm McDowell, Gary Cole
• Format: Color, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English, Hungarian, Russian
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: September 2, 2003
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000085EFO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #684,733 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Eddie Murphy needed a comeback after The Adventures of Pluto Nash, but I Spy didn't provide it. As with his previous turkey, Murphy's the least of this movie's problems; his spitfire delivery begs for better plotting and dialogue, and his teaming with Owen Wilson had even more promise than Wilson's Shanghai comedies with Jackie Chan. But this unfunny hash--bearing no resemblance to the 1960s Bill Cosby-Robert Culp TV series that inspired it--undermines Murphy and Wilson at every turn, stranding them in scenes that play well in isolation but never form a coherent action-comedy. It's not that director Betty Thomas is incapable; she just seems uninterested, going through the motions while Eddie, Owen, and Famke Janssen play spy games in Budapest, chasing after a villain (Malcolm McDowell, wasted again) who's stolen a sleek, invisibility-cloaked jet bomber called the Switchblade. Explosions, shootouts, double-crosses... ignore it all, and find what pleasure you can in Eddie and Owen's aimless banter. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker

Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson team up as a reluctant pair of secret agents. Their mission, which they've decided to accept, is to collect a huge check. The movie is not even remotely based on the groundbreaking sixties television series; instead, the producers bought the title and hired witless writers to patch together a screenplay. Murphy and Wilson are clearly up for a good time, but the whole project fails miserably. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They spy!, January 23, 2007

By 

andy8047 (Nokomis,Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Spy (DVD)

Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson delighted audiences in late 2002 with this action-packed film based on the 1965-68 NBC adventure series starring comedian Bill Cosby and Robert Culp. This is one of the best action films since the LETHAL WEAPON series. Scott Kelly(Wilson) and athlete Alexander Scott(Murphy) are partners in crime. You can call them cops,P.I.'s,FBI agents,whatever. This is a reunion between Murphy and director Betty Thomas who is late of the NBC crime drama Hill Street Blues. Previously,Thomas directed Murphy in the remake of THE NUTTY PROFESSOR and the remake sequel. Thomas' previous films include THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE and PRIVATE PARTS.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great surprise!, June 17, 2005

By 

PLC (Houston TX USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Spy (DVD)

What a good time I had watching this movie. I've watched it four times and it keeps getting better. Quick witted, good chemistry between Eddie Murphy & Owen Wilson, exciting chase scenes -- just a lot of fun. Don't listen to the critics on this one or you'll miss a great couple of hours.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious! My favourite movie since Lord of the Rings..., November 3, 2002

By 

FantasyGuy_2002 (Canada) - See all my reviews

Like the Lord of the Rings was pure entertainment, 'I Spy' was pure comedy. The chemistry of Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy is perfect and I couldn't ask for more in a movie...

The movie starts with the introduction of the CIA Agent played by Owen Wilson. He is then confronted with a mission: an invisible ship called the Switchblade has gone missing and it is up to him to get it back. It is in the hands of a criminal mind, however, so this poses a problem. A boxing match is being fought in a week, so the CIA recruits the heavyweight champ Kelly Robinson (Murphy) so they can access the building where the holder of the Switchblade (Murphy calls it a Leafy Bug) is throwing a party the night before the fight.

The story continues with scene after scene of hysterics, and leaves you laughing at the end! All the characters did their job (some were made one-dimensional for humour: for example, the secret agent stud Carlos), and the scenes and gags were well done.

This movie contains probably the funniest scene I have ever watched but the critics and many movie-goers alike have bombed this movie in their reviews...Why? People are too caught up in the 'message' of the story or the 'new ideas' or something 'different'. What they don't see is that this is a comedy and if it makes you howl and you thoroughly enjoy it, then ITS A GOOD MOVIE! If you aren't entertained, then that's your preference and unfortunately the movie is not for you...In other words, comedy is meant solely to entertain, and many adventures-like it or not-are meant to show you the struggles and journeys of certain individuals. If you don't like it, just go see a drama: its going to be the one who gets all the Oscars, but it might not be the one that is the best of quality...