Spy Hard (1996)
42%RT Audience Score: 40%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Leslie Nielsen’s comic gifts are undisputed, but Spy Hard’s lazy script and slapdash direction fail to take advantage of them
Spy Hard is a movie that’s so bad, it’s almost good. Almost. Leslie Nielsen tries his best to bring the laughs, but the jokes are as sporadic as a teenager’s acne. It’s like they tried to make a Bond parody, but forgot to add the humor. The only thing that kept me watching was wondering why Nicollette Sheridan never made more movies. Overall, it’s a haphazardly executed send-up that’s only worth watching if you’re a die-hard Nielsen fan or if you’re looking for a good laugh at how bad it is.
Production Company(ies)
Canal+ España Canal+ La Fabrique 2
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden – 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for crude humor and sexual innuendo
Year of Release
1996
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, French, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jul 3, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
Spy Hard, Leslie Nielsen, Nicollette Sheridan, Andy Griffith, Marcia Gay Harden, Barry Bostwick, directed by Rick Friedberg, written by Rick Friedberg, Dick Chudnow, Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer, comedy, PG-13, box office, budget, reviewed by Desmond Ryan, Darren Bignell, John Petrakis, Doug Thomas, Jay Boyar, Owen Gleiberman, Mal Vincent, Alistair Lawrence, Ralph Novak, Stephen Hunter, Gary Thompson, producer Rick Friedberg, Doug Draizin, Jeffrey Konvitz, Agent WD-40, KGB agent, General Rancor, computer circuit, missile, hostages, slapstick, parody, action, adventure, spy, espionage, one-liners, gags, Henny Youngman, Bond series, National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1, Hot Shots! Part Deux, comedy film
Worldwide gross: $26,960,191
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $51,460,143
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,311
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 5,611,793
US/Canada gross: $26,960,191
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $51,460,143
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,057
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,448,420
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $19,943,375
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 658
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $18,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $34,357,419
Production budget ranking: 1,073
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $18,501,470
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$1,398,746
ROI to date (est.): -3%
ROI ranking: 1,414
Nicollette Sheridan – Veronique Ukrinsky
Marcia Gay Harden – Miss Cheevus
Barry Bostwick – Norman Coleman
John Ales – Kabul
Andy Griffith – General Rancor
Rick Friedberg – Director/Producer/Writer
Doug Draizin – Producer
Jeffrey Konvitz – Producer
Dick Chudnow – Writer
Jason Friedberg – Writer
Aaron Seltzer – Writer
Director(s)
Rick Friedberg
Writer(s)
Rick Friedberg, Dick Chudnow, Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer
Producer(s)
Rick Friedberg, Doug Draizin, Jeffrey Konvitz
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (3) | Rotten (39)
The jokes come in sporadic volleys rather than the steady machine-gun pace of The Naked Gun and Airplane!, and, with a few exceptions, they are less truly aimed.
June 14, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Sporadically funny, but never more than a sting of crude gags.
June 4, 2013 | Rating: 2/5
Darren Bignell
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
As funny as Nielsen can be, like all comic actors he still needs the quick-thinking jokes and zingy one-liners to be genuinely funny.
June 4, 2013 | Rating: 1.5/4
John Petrakis
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Spy Hard just comes off as a long commercial. And yes, that means most of the best moments you’ve seen in the movie’s trailer.
June 4, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
Doug Thomas
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
More of a cinematic joke book than a real movie, Spy Hard hits you with gags faster than Henny Youngman on speed. Even when individual bits misfire, the unrelenting barrage of silliness can break down your resistance.
June 4, 2013
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Spy Hard is a loose send-up of the Bond series and other overly expensive action flicks, but after Hot Shots! Part Deux and National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1 who needs another action parody?
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Less raunchy than the other Nielsen films, the material isn’t enough to sustain its 80 minutes but it has its moments.
February 25, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Mal Vincent
The Virginian-Pilot
This spy parody from 1996 feels very much of its time.
December 1, 2021 | Rating: 2/5
Alistair Lawrence
Common Sense Media
[A] haphazardly executed send-up.
June 14, 2013
Ralph Novak
People Magazine
The result is 80 brief minutes of movie skits assembled in an order that sort of resembles a plot.
June 14, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
Stephen Hunter
Baltimore Sun
The movie will be of interest only to Nielsen’s most devoted fans and to those who wonder why Nicollette Sheridan never made more movies, or more swimsuit calendars.
June 14, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News
The blockbuster action thriller genre is ripe for sending up, but this lazy effort has to go down as a miss despite the presence of spoofmeister Leslie Nielsen.
June 4, 2013 | Rating: 2/5
John Ferguson
Radio Times…
Plot
General Rancor is threatening to destroy the world with a missile he is hiding at his secret base. But to complete his goal, he needs a special computer chip, invented by scientist Prof. Ukrinsky. Special Agent Dick Steele is assigned to the case, in order to prevent the worst. He teams up with Ukrinsky’s daughter Veronique, who happens to be a KGB agent.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Spy Hard includes Leslie Nielsen, Nicollette Sheridan, Marcia Gay Harden, Barry Bostwick, and Andy Griffith.
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