Very well executed

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Having made a mess of the army in "M*A*S*H", Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould play with the world of espionage in "S*P*Y*S". The plot is a little confusing, but the tricks that they play make up for that. The best scenes are the car chase and the wedding. There's even a scene that seems a little prescient, as Gould's character mentions a NATO presence in Afghanistan.Overall, the bouncing around Paris gives the guys a lot to do, all of it very enjoyable. I think that the point of the movie is that Cold War-era espionage was such a joke that it might as well get this treatment in a movie. The movie got released in an era when a lot of movies focused on suspicion of the government ("The Parallax View", "Three Days of the Condor", etc). Clearly it can easily be the stuff of humor. Really funny.

It's been over 30 years since seeing this movie for the first time, and I can still feel the pain. This ranks right up there on my worst movie of all time list. And I am a Sutherland fan. I actually walked out of the theater the first time...and I was on a date! I recently gave it another try, thinking it couldn't possibly have been THAT bad. Nope. I was right the first time. Again, excruciating to watch. I know that they were probably trying to strike gold again by pairing Gould and Sutherland after they played so well together in MASH, but with a story as stupid as this even they can't pull it off. Do yourself a favor, and just re-watch MASH.

Look, this movie is a fun romp. Nothing more. Made to poke fun at an America stuck fast in the cold war. To judge it harshly is to not understand the decade it was created in. It's buddy film from the 70s. It's got two great stars in it and its filled with wonderful comedic moments and also some great character performances, too. It's a comedy and comedy is always subjective. Gould is at his smooth hipster best, and Southerland complements him well as the nerdier company-man partner. Watch it and enjoy to guys having fun making a movie in Paris during their heyday in 70s films.If it were made today it would probably star Will Ferrel and Owen Wilson. And it would probably be just as fun.

What can I say? Reading the comments here, it seems no one liked S*P*Y*S-- but me. It tickled my funny bone. The improbable zany story and the antics of Sutherland and Gould hit home with me. I laughed my tail off. Truth is, I'm not that weird. I don't like everything that comes down the pike and if you're looking for something in the wake of the Vietnamese war-- and Canadian Sutherland and New Yorker Gould were both active protesters of that ghastly war-- that rebukes the folly of war, this piece works. Now, if you're looking for some higher form of art, you might want to direct your attention somewhere else. As for me, the ridiculous situations these two guys get into amused me greatly and I enjoyed this movie immensely. Check it out for yourself.