Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2083. Spy Hard (1996)

    2083. Spy Hard (1996)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on March 12, 2018 1996, 80-89 mins, Action, Comedy, Mar 18, Movies Of 2018, Review, United States
    6.9 Silly fun, but not hilarious
    • Acting 7.2
    • Directing 7.0
    • Story 6.6
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Nicollette Sheridan, Andy Griffith

    Director: Rick Friedberg

    Running Time: 81 mins


    Spy Hard is an American film about Agent Dick Steele, also known as WD-40, who is tasked with saving the world once again from the evil General Rancor, who he thought was dead after killing him on a previous mission.

    Leslie Nielsen has been the face of some of the funniest parody movies of all time. Airplane, in particular, is legendary for its ridiculously silly but endlessly hilarious madness from beginning to end, while The Naked Gun trilogy is also a series full of fun and stupid hijinks. Spy Hard, unfortunately, isn’t quite on the same level, and although it has some moments of decent humour, it feels a little too messy and try-hard in its delivery of the parody humour, all making for a less-than-exceptional watch.

    Let’s start on the bright side, with the fact that Spy Hard, despite not matching up to the best parody movies of all time, does have some good laughs from time to time. Leslie Nielsen, above all, is as entertaining a lead as always, even if his character isn’t quite as smooth and purely entertaining as his personas in Airplane and The Naked Gun.

    As a result, while you won’t be endlessly wetting yourself laughing throughout, simply because the comedy isn’t quite exceptional, the silly atmosphere, combined with a very enjoyable central turn from Nielsen, makes for a relatively entertaining watch.

    The issues with Spy Hard come from the fact that it just isn’t as funny as it thinks it is. While Airplane, The Naked Gun and Austin Powers (another spy parody that makes the genre work far better) are all just as silly as Spy Hard, they make their ridiculousness work well simply thanks to the fact that they’ve got some really good comedy.

    Here, while there are laughs throughout, it’s not a consistent stream of great jokes, and its most obviously idiotic and ridiculous gags really aren’t as funny as they’re clearly meant to be, which can become particularly frustrating to watch at times.

    And of course, when the comedy’s not as good, your attention naturally turns to the story for some entertainment, and there’s really nothing to write home about there. Again, the best parody movies are able to get by without a properly coherent story by being so raucously funny, but when everything’s a little more middling like is the case here, it makes trying to follow the deliberately stupid story really quite irritating.

    Overall, while I enjoyed elements of Spy Hard, and had some fun with a typically light-hearted central performance from Leslie Nielsen, it’s a film that really doesn’t stand up to the quality of its fellow parodies, and as such proves a rather frustrating watch when the comedy isn’t at its best, which is why I’m giving it a 6.9.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.1
    Review
    February 11, 20160

    1250. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies (2016)

    8.0
    Review
    May 26, 20180

    2161. Game Night (2018)

    8.8
    Review
    June 24, 20150

    1001. The Godfather Part II (1974)

    8.4
    Review
    June 1, 20160

    1369. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

    8.2
    Review
    February 10, 20160

    1249. Deadpool (2016)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.