'Spy Time' film review: Spoof flick hilariously sends up secret agent clichés
The hilarious sendup of the classic spy genre "Spy Time" (which screened during the 42nd Seattle International Film Festival) works because it takes the action as seriously as it takes its comedy.
In short: Middle-aged slacker Adolfo discovers his sausage-making farmer of a father is a actually the secret agent Anacleto, who is feared by criminals worldwide. But when Anacleto's arch-nemesis Vasquez escapes prison, the elder spy must stop the villain from killing Adolfo. (Watch the trailer)
For every one "Naked Gun," there are too many shallow and stupid movies like "Movie 43," "Inappropriate Comedy" or "A Haunted House" that pack the parody movie genre. Even the spy spoof flick sub-genre itself is filled with lame ducks like "Spy Hard" or "Johnny English." Although "Spy Time" is without doubt a complete spoof of the classic "James Bond"-type of spy movie, it is first and foremost an entertaining action flick. It doesn't shy away from violence inherent to the secret agent genre - often at the hands of Adolfo, who is utterly psychologically unprepared to take on waves of trained killers.
This movie's total commitment to its action movie aspects allows "Spy Time" to indulge in its absolutely silly and over-the-top comedy. Just how silly does "Spy Time" get - at one point a secret agent pulls a handgun out of a cow's butt. This movie gets away with its truly absurd comedic moments because all the comedy is built on the framework of a legitimately enjoyable and focused action movie. This action-comedy doesn't take itself or the spy genre in general, seriously at all, allowing "Spy Time" to play with tired secret agent tropes while subverting audience expectations.
Final verdict: While "Spy Time" may not have a place among the all-time great spoof films, it is a fun, silly and entertaining romp of an action-comedy.
Score: 3/5
"Spy Time" (also known as "Anacleto: agente secreto") screened during the 42nd Seattle International Film Festival. This film has a running time of 93 minutes and is not yet rated.
