Spies Like Us

A John Landis film, Spies Like Us shows the comic adventures of two novice intelligence agents sent to the Soviet Union as disposable decoys for the real agents. The movie starred Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Steve Forrest and Donna Dixon.

The promotional song "Spies Like Us" was composed and performed by Paul McCartney.

The movie was referenced heavily in the song "Out With a Bang" by Self; even the title was a quote from the film.

Two totally incompetent applicants, Emmett Fitzhume and Austin Millbarge, are chosen from a CIA recruitment program. They are parachuted into Pakistan and eventually end up in Afghanistan, chased by the Russians, where they learn they are being used as decoys to draw out the Soviet defenses. Two real spies are sent in. Their mission is to hijack a soviet Missile launcher, launch the Soviet missile and test the new U.S. orbital defense laser.

A Family Guy episode titled "Spies Reminiscent of Us" was a spoof of this film. There are also multiple references in the NBC show Chuck.

Tropes used in Spies Like Us include:
  • Accent Relapse: Once the mission contacts are revealed to be Russian spies, in the subsequent interrogation scene, they have thick Russian accents.
  • Barehanded Blade Block: The military commander is asked what you're supposed to do when you meet ninjas. Handing over his clipboard to an assistant, he then proceeds to kick ninja butt, at one point stopping a sword in this manner. Mind you, he was wearing leather gloves.
  • Becoming the Mask / Took a Level in Badass / From Nobody to Nightmare: Fitzhume and Millbarge may be decoys...
  • Bribe Backfire: Emmett's attempts to bribe his way to a passing grade don't do him much good.
  • The Cameo: The movie is full of them: Sam Raimi, Costa-Gavras, the Coen brothers, Terry Gilliam, Frank Oz …
    • Also Bob Hope, as a Shout-Out to the "Road" pictures he made.
  • Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends: After inadvertently causing the end of the world, the heroes and their Soviet counterparts decide to at least die happy: Fitz-Hume pairs up with the gorgeous Agent Boyer, while the two older Soviet techs hook up together. Since there are two male techs and one female left, it seems that Millbarge and one of the other guys will be left out of the fun. Then it turns out the other two guys are gay, leaving Millbarge to pair up with the remaining woman; unnamed but played by the very hot Vanessa Angel. Win-freakin'-win. Oh, and the end of the world part? It gets better.
  • Colonel Badass: Colonel Rhumbus. He knocks out his own squad of elite ninja soldiers and then takes our heroes through accelerated GLG20 training. His salutes are so snappy that you can hear his gloved hand cutting through the air.
  • Conservation of Ninjitsu: Subverted then played straight.

Fitzhume: (to an army of ninjas) This is my sister. You can all have her!

Chevy Chase (subtitles): "If you let me go, you can use my friend's head as a polo ball."
Bandits all laugh. One of them takes Dan's head in his hands, testing it for size.
Dan Aykroyd: "What's he doing?"
Chase: "Err, he's saying hello."
Aykroyd (taking hold of the bandit's head): "Hello! Hello!"

  • Harmless Electrocution: Emmett (Chevy Chase) uses his own body to close an electrical circuit. Partially justified in that he was doing it to save the world.
  • Highly-Visible Ninja: In the woods at night, they turn on floodlights, so that they can show off better! Then, when the Scary Black Man general wants to show how tough he is, they obligingly rush him one at a time.
    • This means that either the "ninjas" were under the General's employ from the start, or—the less logical but more entertaining explanation—they were just a pack of wild ninjas with a portable floodlight setup roaming the forest.
  • Instant Sedation: Emmett Fitz-hume and Austin Millbarge knock out five Soviet soldiers instantly with "high-compression tranquilizer pistols".
  • It's Raining Men: Austin and Emmett are forced to make a parachute jump without any training as part of a test of their abilities.
  • Mutilation Interrogation: Emmett was threatened with this one after being captured by Soviets. Only through Obfuscating Stupidity (or actual stupidity) was he able to stall long enough to keep his digits:

Soviet Agent: For every question you do not answer, I cut off a finger...
Fitz-hume: Mine, or yours?
Soviet Agent: Yours.
Fitz-hume: Damn.

  • Newscaster Cameo: At the end of the movie, Edwin Newman plays himself reporting on U.S.-Soviet disarmament talks.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: They sure did underestimate those decoys.
  • Not Cheating Unless You Get Caught: One of the two "heroes" (to use the term loosely) managed to pressure the other into helping him cheat on their government promotion tests, through good, old-fashioned Chevy Chase-style chuztpah. When discovered, in order to cover themselves, they worked together by reflex to cover each other. The CIA test givers were so impressed that they gave them an immediate promotion to field agents (of course, this was a plot to throw expendable agents into the field as a diversion for more nefarious activities ... but the trope connection is solid).
  • Offscreen Teleportation: While Austin and Emmett are walking away from them and talking, the two KGB Special Branch agents somehow get from the jeep they were occupying (behind our heroes) to standing in front of them.
  • Out with a Bang: Emmett says the line.
    • Perfectly subverted in that everyone in the group of spies and Soviets gets to have sex with someone, and then they figure out how to disarm the nuclear missile and avert world obliteration.
  • Overly Long Gag: "Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. And Doctor."
    • "Did we miss anyone? Good."
  • Popcultural Osmosis : For the record, before the Family Guy spoof, this page didn't exist.
  • Pop Star Composer: Sir Paul McCartney.
  • Preppy Name: Emmett Fitz-Hume.
  • Product Placement: "Won't you gentlemen have a Pepsi?"
  • Reassignment Backfire: Emmett Fitz-Hume (who got his job only through nepotism), and Austin Millbarge (who works in the bowels of a civil service building) have this happen to them. Emmett didn't study for the upcoming civil service exam, and while Austin initially refuses to help him cheat, both end up causing a scene in the exam room. So their superiors send them to Pakistan as decoys, claiming they would be on a mission of great importance (when in reality, they were just there to keep the fire off the real agents). Except they eventually find their way to Russia, where alongside one of the real CIA agents, they end up saving the day.
  • Resignations Not Accepted:

Fitz-Hume: Ah, Colonel we were just talking and uh we've had loads of fun here... and, uh, you know. we met new friends... and had a great lunch. Wasn't that a great lunch?
Milbarge: Yah, the tuna and cream casserole was beautiful.
Fitz-Hume: ...Was great! And, uh, anyway we were just talking and we'd like to go home now. So, uh, thanks for the bruises and you can keep the stool samples...
Col. Rhombus: Boys... it'd be a shame to have to kill you now.

  • Sensual Slavs: Vanessa Angel. Yummy.
  • Shout-Out: Similarities between this film and Dr. Strangelove are entirely on purpose.
  • Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
  • Spiritual Successor: The movie is considered to be related to the Road To: movies made by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, much like a forgotten nephew.
  • Spy From Weights and Measures: The Ace Tomato Company. Also, Mission Control for the military's SDI weapon was hidden under a deserted Drive-In Theater.
  • Thanks for the Mammary: Done amusingly - Shortly after the "Doctor Doctor" scene, Emmett Fitz-Hume gets some alone time with Karen Boyer, and does some Obfuscating Stupidity while bringing his hand close to her chest, eventually grabbing one of her assets, and as he goes on rambling grabs hold of the other one with his other hand. Karen's initial reaction is mere annoyance, but after she takes hold of Emmett's hands to get them off her chest, she somehow warms up to him and they kiss.
  • Title Drop: "They're spies...like us!"
  • Tranquillizer Dart: Emmett Fitz-Hume and Austin Millbarge knock out five Soviet soldiers instantly with "high-compression tranquilizer pistols".
  • What's a Henway?: The movie includes the following exchange when the two hear a strange loud noise:

Aykroyd: It's a dikfer!
Chase: What's a dikfer?
Aykroyd: To pee with.

  • You Just Told Me: Agent Millbarge suspects that a pair of agents supposedly sent to help him and his partner are actually KGB agents. He confirms his suspicions by saying something funny in Russian, making one of them laugh.
    • One wonders why it would be even remotely suspicious that alleged CIA agents, allegedly assigned to a mission in Russia, would be fluent in Russian.
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