OK, so right off the bat, this movie features a drive-in theater as a major plot element and that instantly makes it a classic in my book. In reality, this could be one of the most polarizing comedies of the 1980’s. Most people either love this movie, or they hate it. I love this movie, but I can certainly understand why some people would hate it.

I think people hate this movie because it is a vehicle for Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd to do slapstick humor and dirty jokes, and nothing more. The plot is weak (even ridiculous at times), the other actors were obviously chosen because they presented no threat to outshine Chase or Aykroyd and the emphasis is on the sight gags and not the story itself. I have actually talked to people who have watched the movie several times, love the movie and have absolutely no idea what the plot is.

In the 1980’s, Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd were huge box office draws and there were several attempts to get them together in a movie. They were supposed to be in Ghostbusters together, but that fell apart. When this movie presented itself, the two actors took the opportunity to create what is really one of the better “buddy comedies” of all time.

There is no need to get wrapped up in the plot of this movie and, to be honest, there really is no bad guy you are supposed to hate. The point of this movie is to sit back and watch Chase and Aykroyd be funny, which is why this movie is such a classic. Any film that captures two people who are tops in their craft at the peak of their careers has potential, and this movie lives up to its potential.

Spies Like Us really tries to have elements that you would find in any other movie such as a devious jerk trying to undermine things, a love interest and a couple of subplots that try to affect the outcome of the movie. But all of those get buried by Chase’s rapid one-liners and Aykroyd’s genius as a straight man (get your minds out of the gutters – this is comedy!). Throughout the entire movie, the two of them act like they were back in their old improv days and just riffing off one another. That is probably why so many people hate this movie, but it is also what makes this movie so great.

I would imagine that most people are doing their best to stay with the movie, but the introduction of source programmable guidance is just a little too much. It is not nearly as far-fetched as trying to convince an audience that humans from Earth could upload a virus to an alien mothership, but it is pretty close. The difference is that you are laughing on purpose when source programmable guidance shows up, instead of laughing out of disgust when the Jolly Roger flashes across the screens in the alien ship.

If you are one of those people who hate this movie, then I really invite you to give it just one more chance. Instead of expecting a movie with a plot, just sit back and watch the jokes. Spies Like Us succeeds where pretty much every Bob Hope / Lucille Ball movie failed. It succeeds in being something that allows two funny people to be funny without the rest of the movie attempting to get in the way. Most people who like to laugh also tend to like this movie, which is probably why this is one of my favorites.

There were a lot of classic comedies that came out in the 1980’s and there are a lot of people who would leave Spies Like Us off their lists of favorites. But when you take Spies Like Us at face value and realize that it was not created to win an Oscar, then you can enjoy its real charm.

This is a funny movie that stars two funny people at the height of their funny powers. It remains one of the more durable 1980’s comedy movies and it will always have a place on my list of classics.

George N Root III is a drive-in movie fanatic and is impatiently counting the days until the drive-in reopens. Until then, he spends his time watching a lot of classic movies and reviewing them as a sort of therapy.

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