One of the better bickering-buddy flicks of late, I Spy teams Eddie Murphy at his most puffed up and garrulous with Owen Wilson at his most laid back and drawly. The result is an object lesson in ping-pong repartee.
The plot ain't up to much, Special Agent Alex Scott (Wilson) needing the help of boxing champ Kelly Robinson (Murphy) to retrieve a stolen stealth plane from über-villain Arnold Gundars (Malcolm McDowell). But plot-schmot: - this is about the gags, with Murphy motormouthing back the years and Wilson doing bloody well just to keep up. Best bit(s)? The running gag involving Robinson's boyish glee at Scott's gallery of gadgets. Now that's funny.
DVD Extras:
Four featurettes, four minutes apiece, looking at the costumes, gadgets, Budapest location and Murphy's boxing technique (see right). So-so stuff, and much the same can be said for the filmmakers' commentary featuring director Betty Thomas, producer Jenno Topping, editor Peter Teschner and writers David Ronn and Jay Sherick. High on anecdotes but brittle in tone, Thomas takes over to prove something of a bore.
