For over 60 years, spy films have been one of the most popular genres in movies. From James Bond to John le Carre adaptations, the genre has continually formed movies that have been both critical and commercial triumphs. While most spy films are pretty self-serious, a select few play around and give a comedic spin on the classification.
Whether satirizing the more earnest spy films of the past or putting its secret agents in more comic scenarios, these movies turned a usually humorless genre on its head.
10 'Duplicity' (2009)
IMDb
Tony Gilroy was one of the hottest filmmakers in Hollywood, coming off his directorial debut Michael Clayton. Trying to build off its success, Gilroy went in armed with a $60 million budget and two mega movie stars for Duplicity. A con movie about two corporate spies that merges elements of a thriller, crime, romance, and comedy, Duplicity is well-made, light entertainment.
Gilroy's dialogue is sharp, and the narrative, which is presented out of chronological order, is fun for the most part and keeps audiences on their toes. Its stars, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, have authentic chemistry. Most of the time, it's worth it to see these two hang out in exotic locations and spit knowing dialogue.
9 'Grimsby' (2016)
IMDb
Grimsby seemed like an usual combination. The outlandish humor of Sacha Baron Cohen, known best for his plethora of comedic caricatures, notably Borat, combined with the propulsive directing style of Louis Leterrier, known for action films such as Transporter 2 and Now You See Me.
Following a mismatched pair of long-lost brothers who must team together to save the world, one a father of 9 and the other an MI6 agent, the film is as absurd as it sounds. Perhaps less cutting but even more indecorous than Baron Cohen's usual work, the brothers in Grimsby may have been able to save the world but couldn't save the film from being a box office bomb.
