Film Review: ‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’ Didn’t Need the Spy Part

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CHICAGO – It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a film completely stolen by a supporting character, but Kate McKinnon in “The Spy Who Dumped Me” managed to do just that… which was fortunate because the “spy” part of the story is a seen-it-before kill and gun fest that felt like the first draft of a James Bond knock-off.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

But McKinnon provides the comic relief, and reels off a series of what sounded like improvisation lines that sort of makes fun of the spy part while oddly participating in it. There are 28 (plus/minus factor of five) quality kills in this film, from the dependable neck twist to a henchman being run over by a bus to the old reliable head shot with a gun. It was not only out of place in what could have been a funnier buddy comedy, but it was boring to boot. Yet with McKinnon, “The Spy Who Dumped Me” is an okay (albeit R-Rated) diversion, which was ironically “dumped” into a post-summer-blockbuster August release. Let’s hear McKinnon laugh all the way to the bank.

Audrey (Mila Kunis) is a directionless worker bee for a coffee shop, whose boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux) has just dumped her via text. She laments at her birthday to bestie Morgan (Kate McKinnon), because she can’t get over the abruptness of the break up. Meanwhile, Drew is shown to be a James Bond-like spy operative, who is trying to escape from pursuers in Eastern Europe.

Among the items Drew left behind is a fantasy football trophy. It turns out that a vital thumb drive is hidden inside, and both the Russian mafia and international spy rings are gunning for it, including British spy Sebastian (Sam Heughan). The women decide to take matters into their own hands, and travel to Prague to rendezvous with a drop off connection. That is interrupted with a massive shoot-out, which begins Audrey and Morgan’s excellent European spy adventure.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Spy Who Dumped Me”

Morgan (Kate McKinnon) and Audrey (Mila Kunis) Pose in ‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’
Photo credit: Lionsgate

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Spy Who Dumped Me”