The Spy Who Dumped Me feels like it pinned you down and tickled you making you giggle like a little school girl. And don’t dare try stop, because Kate McKinnon will get you back on the giggle train until the final moments.
Audrey (Mila Kunis) is celebrating her birthday with best friend Morgan (Kate McKinnon), but isn’t quite feeling it after her boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux) dumped her via text. To cheer her up Morgan decides it would be a good idea to burn all the things Drew left at Audrey’s house. Giving him warning Drew calls to tell her not to burn anything.
In a crazy twist of fate, Drew turns out to be a spy and left something highly valuable in Audrey’s possession. In returning to collect this prised item Drew ends up being located and shot dead by an assassin. But that’s not before he entrusts Audrey with an item that sends her to Europe.
While trying to follow Drew’s instruction Audrey and Moran find themselves in a shoot-out whist continuously being hunted and not knowing who they can trust. Eventually they discover the person they thought they couldn’t trust had their back the whole time.
Directed and written by Susanna Fogel known mostly for her TV work in the USA. With the likes of Play by Play a coming of age series about a ESPN sports reporter, Fogel has a knack for capturing a certain sense of humour on screen. Think Parks and Rec crossed with Dumb and Dumber. It’s that classic fart joke held with a straight face. But in between the humour Fogel manages to tie in some relatively good story lines for a comedy and ultimately a whole lot of girl power.
The one thing that stands out in this film is the fact that it’s a strong female led comedy. Sure, it’s not the first time women have lead a comedy, but unlike some before it The Spy Who Dumped Me isn’t trying to make you laugh. It’s not forcing its feminine power upon you and it’s certainly not trying to be better than a male led comedy. It’s it a stand alone funny film with two great actresses. And while this fact probably doesn’t need to be mentioned, with an industry trying hard for equality, Fogel and the team have absolutely nailed it.
The face of the team may very well be Mila Kunis but it’s Kate McKinnon (Rough Night, Office Christmas Party, Ghostbusters: Answer the call) who steals the show. Mind you it is her classic nasal over the top delivery we’ve come to know her for. But in this case those qualities work perfectly for her character Morgan. You can tell McKinnon just had an absolute blast with her role.
Mila Kunis the dumpee floats nicely around her character and a perfect companion to McKinnon. Their chemistry on screen works a treat, to the point where you think they may actually be besties off the screen as well. It’s Kunis that brings a sense of class and range to the film. While The Spy Who Dumped Me is a comedy, Kunis manages to navigate her way around delivering the humour but also to make her character believable.
The Spy Who Dumped Me is a classic comedy. It’s got everything from a fart joke to classic one liners. There’s no doubt McKinnon is comedic genius, even if she is the same person in almost everything she does. But together with Mila Kunis they will have you laughing out loud and not even caring how loud you are.
It’s most definitely a chic flick there’s no debating that. But to give the guys something to do while they sit next to you, there’s some car chases and some explosions, a few shots and fired and a bit of blood.
Overall, The Spy Who Dumped Me is funny. It will have you giggling all the way through. Chic flick comedy is what it aims to be and it’s exactly what it is. It’s got a story line though you could almost predict exactly what happens. But that doesn’t matter because it’s a whole lot of fun.