Product Details

• Actors: Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland, Zouzou, Joss Ackland, Xavier Gélin
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005JP2S
• For more information about "S*P*Y*S" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Originally called Wet Stuff, secret agent slang for blood, the studio re-titled S*P*Y*S to capitalize on the success of Robert Altman's M*A*S*H. It turned out to be a move that did more harm than good, as Irvin Kershner's Cold War spoof was deemed the inferior product. It’s an accurate assessment. To be fair, though, Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back) never intended to produce a similar movie. In their second team effort, Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland play Griff and Brulard, CIA operatives stationed in Paris. When their plan to facilitate the defection of a Russian gymnast goes awry, they shack up with sexy anarchist Sybil (Zouzou from Eric Rohmer's Love in the Afternoon). In their bumbling attempts to evade the KGB and their own agency, however, the laid-back Griff and tightly-wound Brulard end up hightailing it to London, leading to some mildly amusing automotive action, but little genuine excitement. The rangy duo works well together, but no amount of chemistry can make up for the confusing script and overly busy score (provided by the usually reliable Jerry Goldsmith). Extras include an informative featurette with Gould, Kershner and producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, and The Road of a Hundred Days, a U.S. Information Service documentary on which Kershner served as cameraman. This sympathetic look at an isolated Greek village, circa the 1950s, has nothing to do with S*P*Y*S, but completists may find the film of interest, and it certainly make more sense than the main feature. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT NEARLY AS BAD as its reputed to be!, March 19, 2010

By 

Shemp-Masta-Flash "i'm neither here nor there" (Chicago USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: S*P*Y*S (DVD)

S*P*Y*S is by no means a great movie, but it does have its moments. Simply put, this movie is a cross between "I Spy" (the TV show) and the Three Stooges. If you like manic, cheerily violent slapstick-y humor like the Stooges (as I do), or that of the Avalon/Funicello beach party movies, you might well like this. All others, beware! (Hey, it's funnier than that "Get Smart" movie w/ Steve Carell!)

4.0 out of 5 stars S*P*Y*S, January 17, 2012

By 

Robert D. Woods (Spartanburg, SC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: S*P*Y*S (DVD)

Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould, the stars of M*A*S*H, were featured again in a very funny spoof about the cold war espionage days. This one is well worth viewing for sheer laughs.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad, bad, bad, January 8, 2011

By 

Mr. G. Earley "Earleybird" (Wimbledon) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: S*P*Y*S (DVD)

I'd love to say something good about this film but in truth I cant. Its so badly conceived from beginning to end that its simply embarrassing to watch all the way through. The films main failing is its script which is weak and unfunny. The two main stars are wasted on such an utterly pointless project. The only reason I watched it at all was that I remember watching this on TV when I was five or six years old and loving it. I should have left it at that. Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland undoubtedly have good chemistry but if you want to see them together watch MASH, not this. Avoid.