Thicker waistlines and thinner dialogue don't stop
I Spy Returns from being an enjoyable reunion for the stars of the hip '60s TV series. From 1965 to 1968, Bill Cosby and Robert Culp were the ultimate "salt and pepper" duo, playing super-spies Scott and Robinson (respectively) in a show that combined
Mission: Impossible intrigue with witty banter and effortless biracial chemistry (at a time when such pairings were still considered experimental). A quarter-century later, Culp was still delightfully acerbic, Cosby had become a TV icon, and
I Spy Returns gave them a happy excuse to wreak havoc in Vienna, where Robinson's son (George Newbern) and Scott's daughter (Salli Richardson) are freshly minted spies subjected to unwanted fatherly meddling. It's TV fluff from start to finish, but Cosby and Culp are still cool together, even when they're buck-naked captives of a sniveling British mercenary. It ain't pretty, but it's sure to get a laugh.
--Jeff Shannon
1 A nice reunion, but not perfect
Reunion movies tend to have their faults. This one is no exception, although I would think it was better than average. Yes, they go with the silly 'the kids are taking over Dad's job, and Dad sneaks around to make sure they don't screw up' plot. However, this really shines in the same place the original series did -- the interaction and dialogue between Cosby and Culp. After all this time, they were still being those characters! Yes, while the scene where they are tied up naked might have been a little more fun if they had been a bit younger *cough*, it led to a wonderful scene. The young stars are pleasant enough, and do their best with what they're given.
2 Alright in some parts
I watched bits and pieces of I Spy Returns! The action is awsome!
the onlything wrong is that fact that later in the movie, it shows culps and cosbys balls, which I'm not all that happy with but otherwise, the movie's pretty good.
3 Old TV show reunion, unsuccessful as usual
With the exception of the rather long series of Alien Nation reunion movies, few reunion TV-movies showing old starts in their old roles have had much success, and this funnied-up resurrection of Kelly and Scotty follows the rule predictably. Getting the progeny of the two heroes together as the new generation spies was stupid enough, but the writers couldn't resist the urge to make the show some sort of parody of itself. There is no suspense, and it's impossible to take the characters at all seriously. On the plus side, it cannot possibly be as bad as the Eddie Murphy bigscreen version is bound to be....
4 Great Reunion Movie!!
I saw this movie in the early 90's,and it was nice to see Cosby and Culp together again after over 20 years since the late 60's.Although Robert Culp did not become as famous as Bill Cosby.I think Culp is a superb although unfortunately an underrated actor.I'm glad to see that this fine reunion movie will be on video soon!!
