#98 - "Spies Like Us" (1985) with Laramy Wells from "Moving Panels" Podcast

80s Flick Flashback

Set against the backdrop of heightened Cold War tensions, this 80s flick introduces us to two bumbling government employees unwittingly thrust into the world of international espionage. Tasked with a decoy mission to distract attention from a genuine covert operation, the duo becomes entangled in a web of conspiracies, encounters with KGB agents, and a journey that takes them from the treacherous terrains of Afghanistan to the frigid landscapes of the Soviet Union.

It not only capitalizes on the chemistry between its lead actors but also serves as a parody of spy movie tropes prevalent in the '80s. Cleverly satirizing the political climate of its time, it offered a light-hearted take on the Cold War anxieties that gripped the world. By infusing humor into the serious business of espionage, the film manages to lampoon both political posturing and the conventions of the spy genre itself.

So start studying for the foreign service exam, pull out your book on Colloquial Russian, and meet us at the Ace Tomato Company as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Laramy Wells from "Moving Panels" Podcast to discuss “Spies Like Us” from 1985 on this episode of the 80s Flick Flashback Podcast.

Here are some additional behind-the-scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

• Chevy Chase's co-worker asks him if he's going to take the Foreign Service Board Exam and explains "it's supposed to be all new this year. There will be 500 questions in two hours." This means that an exam taker would have to answer a question at least every 14.4 seconds.
• Chevy Chase's character tells the test administrator, played by Frank Oz, that he's late because he was at the reading of a will. In "Knives Out" (2019), Oz plays a lawyer reading a will.
• Chevy Chase's most successful film at the North American box office in 1985. It grossed $60 million domestically, while his other pictures Fletch (1985) and National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) grossed $50 million and $49 million respectively. Ironically the latter two less financially successful films inspired sequels while there never was a sequel to this film.

Sources:

Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/spies-like-us-movie

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