When
Austin Millbarge and
Emmett Fitz-hume are caught cheating on a
departmental exam at their jobs in the US government, they are promoted and sent on foreign assignment in the
Middle East, and thus begins the 1985
Cold War comedy
Spies Like Us.
They just don't make movies like this anymore. Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd topline the cast as Fitz-hume and Millbarge and both turn in a comic performance the likes of which we haven't seen in years. The two play off each's others reactions so well that they make a natural comedy team. The supporting cast, including Donna Dixon and Vanessa Angel, give the duo even more material to play off of.
The film itself is a satirical look at the government. Basically, a group of military personnel believe that the USA must show that it has the firepower to defend itself, so they arrange to have a Russian nuclear missile fired on the USA. Then this military splinter group will use their anti-missile weapon to blow up the incoming threat, thus proclaiming the power of the USA. Emmett Fitz-hume and Austin Millbarge are sent to complete the mission, or so they think. In reality they are decoys, except that they don't know that. The team is sent right into enemy hands and the rest of the movie details their experiences as they try to make sense of the situation they find themselves in.
Oh, and don't miss the cameo of Bob Hope!