History Film / SpiesLikeUs

* TheLoad: Fitz-Hume basically is one during the entire film, with Millbarge, who at least is book smart, doing most of the deductions.

* TheLoad: Fitz-Hume basically is one during the entire film, with Millbarge, who at least is BookSmart, doing most of the deductions.

* TheBait: Milbarge and Fitz-Hume. They're even referred explicitly as such, even by the real G22 officers.

-->'''Fitz-Hume:''' We were just talking and we'd like to go home now. So, uh, thanks for the bruises and you can keep the stool samples...
-->'''Col. Rhumbus:''' Boys... it'd be a ''shame'' to have to kill you now. ''[drives off]''\\
-->'''Fitz-Hume:''' What'd he mean by that?\\
-->'''Milbarge:''' It means we're O.I.O.\\
-->'''Fitz-Hume:''' What's that?\\
-->'''Milbarge:''' Obligated Involuntary Officers.

** The anti-ballistic missile system's laser, after it misses a missile, blows up an MTV satellite.

A 1985 comedy directed by Creator/JohnLandis, ''Spies Like Us'' basically resembles a Hope/Crosby ''Film/RoadTo'' picture updated for TheEighties. The film follows the misadventures of two novice intelligence agents sent to the Soviet Union as disposable decoys for the real agents. The movie stars Creator/DanAykroyd, Creator/ChevyChase, Steve Forrest, and Donna Dixon.

Two totally incompetent applicants, Emmett Fitz-Hume and Austin Millbarge, are chosen from a CIA recruitment program. They are parachuted into Pakistan and eventually end up in Afghanistan, chased by the Russians, where they learn they are being used as decoys to draw out the Sovet defenses. Two real spies are sent in. Their mission is to hijack a Soviet missile launcher, launch the Soviet missile and test the new U.S. orbital defense laser.

* AllMenArePerverts: Our heroes fight over the binoculars so they can perve on Vanessa Angel zipping up her jumpsuit.

--> '''Soviet Agent:''' For every question you do not answer, I cut off a finger...
--> '''Fitz-hume:''' Mine, or yours?
--> '''Soviet Agent:''' ''Yours''.
--> '''Fitz-hume:''' Damn.

-->'''Fitz-hume''' (subtitles): "If you let me go, you can use my friend's head as a polo ball."
-->''Bandits all laugh. One of them takes Dan's head in his hands, testing it for size.''
-->'''Millbarge''' "What's he doing?"
-->'''Fitz-hume''' "Err, he's saying hello."
-->'''Millbarge''' (taking hold of the bandit's head): "Hello! Hello!"

-->'''Col. Rhumbus:''' Boys... it'd be a ''shame'' to have to kill you now. ''(drives off)''
-->'''Fitz-Hume:''' What'd he mean by that?
-->'''Milbarge:''' It means we're O.I.O.
-->'''Fitz-Hume:''' What's that?

* ReassignmentBackfire: Emmett Fitz-Hume (who got his job only through nepotism) and Austin Millbarge (who works in the bowels of a civil service building) have this happen to them. Emmett didn't study for the upcoming civil service exam and while Austin initially refuses to help him cheat, both end up causing a scene in the exam room. So their superiors send them to Pakistan as decoys, claiming they would be on a mission of great importance (when in reality, they were just there to keep the fire off the real agents). Except they eventually find their way to Russia, where alongside one of the ''real'' CIA agents, they end up saving the day.

* RousingSpeech: Karen Boyer (Donna Dixon) gives an inspiring patriotic speech to Austin Millbarge (Creator/DanAykroyd) and Emmett Fitz-Hume (Creator/ChevyChase) just as they're prepared to pack up and go home, rather than face the Russians and their FantasticNuke. Karen busts their chops, telling them she's been preparing for this mission for ''months'' [[spoiler:and even had to bury her partner that day, after the Russians killed him]], and she's not about to let it all be for nothing.

* RousingSpeech: Karen Boyer (Donna Dixon) gives an inspiring patriotic speech to Austin Millbarge (Dan Ackroyd) and Emmett Fitz-Hume (Chevy Chase) just as they're prepared to pack up and go home, rather than face the Russians and their FantasticNuke. Karen busts their chops, telling them she's been preparing for this mission for ''months'' [[spoiler:and even had to bury her partner that day, after the Russians killed him]], and she's not about to let it all be for nothing.

* ANuclearError: After a Soviet missile is launched at the United States, the American spies who did it realize that they've started WorldWarIII. However, one of them remembers that the missile has "source-programmable guidance", so they can transmit a signal to it and order it to fly out into space and explode. Not only do nuclear missiles not have such an option, it would be impossible for the missile to change course that way.

* RousingSpeech: Karen Boyer (Donna Dixon) gives an inspiring patriotic speech to Austin Millbarge (Dan Ackroyd) and Emmett Fitz-Hume (Chevy Chase) just as they're prepared to pack up and go home rather than face the Russians and their FantasticNuke. Karen busts their chops, telling them she's been preparing for this mission for ''months'' [[spoiler:and even had to bury her partner that day, after the Russians killed him]], and she's not about to let it all be for nothing.

** While Milbarge and Fitz-Hume are in Pakistan, several times people speak to the native Pakistanis in a foreign language (probably Pashto, as Fitz-Hume uses a "Pashtu" to English dictionary) with no translation.

* SensualSlavs: Vanessa Angel, though she's actually British.

** Lampshaded by Karen: "You two are unbelievable!"

* TheCameo: The movie is full of them: Creator/SamRaimi, Costa-Gavras, Creator/TheCoenBrothers, Creator/TerryGilliam, Creator/FrankOz, Music/BBKing, [[Creator/RayHarryhausen Ray frickin' Harryhausen]]…
** Also Bob Hope, as a ShoutOut to the ''Film/RoadTo'' pictures he made.
*** The film gives an acting credit to then U.S. President UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan, although he only appears in a clip from the movie ''She's Working Her Way Through College''.

** TruthInTelevision: Really, they were both safe from gunfire thanks to [[SoftWater Hard Water]]. Of course, the test was to see how long they could stay down there under duress.

* GrenadeHotPotato: Fitz-Hume actually catches the grenade - and has no idea what it is, leading to:
-->'''Fitz-Hume:''' Hey, what's this?
-->'''Milbarge:''' ''[[OhCrap ''You don't want it!]]''
** After which Fitz-Hume stands up - in the middle of a gunfight between the KGB and Milbarge - and calmly tosses the grenade back, landing it through the window... and in the [[StuffBlowingUp box of grenades]] that two {{Mooks}} had opened up.

** This means that either the "ninjas" were under the Colonel's employ from the start, or — the less logical but more entertaining explanation — they were just a pack of wild ninjas with a portable floodlight setup roaming the forest.
** The whole reason the main characters were sent out in the first place was so that they'd end up being Highly Visible Spies and distract attention from other spies who were expected to be the ones to do the job.

* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: "And to think my high school guidance counselor said I'd never amount to anything." Which leads to:
** EurekaMoment: "GUIDANCE!? SOURCE PROGRAMMABLE GUIDANCE!"

* OverlyLongGag: "Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. And Doctor." "Did we miss anyone? Good."

** When Milbarge quotes a Russian proverb to the KGB agents, there is no translation of what it means for the audience.

* SensualSlavs: Vanessa Angel. Yummy.
** She's actually British, but we'll let it slide.

* SpiritualSuccessor: The movie is considered to be related to the ''Film/RoadTo'' movies made by Creator/BobHope and Music/BingCrosby.
** This is given a nod when [[Creator/BobHope Uncle Bob]] drops by to play through a round of golf.

** The anti-ballistic missile system's laser, after it misses said missile, blows up an MTV satellite.
** The absurdly long set-up time and usefulness better classified under "EpicFail" shows that the writers didn't thought highly of the whole concept of the Strategic Defense Initiative (better known to the public as "StarWars"), either.

%%* PopStarComposer: Sir Music/PaulMcCartney
%%* PreppyName: Emmett Fitz-Hume

* ClosestThingWeveGot: Fitz-Hume and Milzarge become this when the GLG-20 team that was meant to do the actual mission gets ambushed and one of the agents gets killed.

%%* TheEighties

* {{Expy}}: Steve Forrest's general (who ordered the operation) is essentially a copy of the trope-naming GeneralRipper, changing the reason for nuclear warfare from "[[SillyReasonForWar the Russians are tampering with our bodily fluids]]" to "[[{{Eagleland}} America]] [[UsefulNotes/PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower must show the Russians that they have the edge in weapons technology,]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist regardless of the body count.]]" This is not any less chilling, considering he's still willing to cause ''nuclear war''.