5 Of The Craziest Spy Comedies From The 1980s

There have been an incredible amount of spy films and comedies released over the years, but one genre that had a firm hold on the 1980s were the spy comedies. These films combined intrigue, mystery, and crafty gadgets with comedic timing, resulting in a wonderful time at the cinema.

Today, modern spy films use the latest tech to find and track the bad guys. Spy apps for iPhone are used to monitor the online activities of crooks and see their whereabouts, while X-ray scanners can seemingly see straight through walls. Some of these high-tech features are often used in contemporary spy and mystery movies.

But the spy comedies from the ‘80s were different, using not-yet-created gadgets to capture the imagination of viewers. Here are the five craziest, funniest, and most out-there spy comedies from the era.

1. Spies Like Us

Spies Like Us (1985) features the tagline: “With spies like these who needs enemies?” and follows two government employees, Emmitt Fitz-Hume and Austin Milbarge as they’re sent off on a highly classified CIA mission.

Of course, these two are not trained as CIA agents, but that’s exactly why they were chosen—they’re expendable and useful decoys for a nuclear war. They get rushed through training and are airdropped into Pakistan, where their adventure awaits.

What this movie lacks in techy spy gadgets, it more than makes up for with the comedic charm and riffs by lead actors Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd.

2. Hopscotch

This cat-and-mouse movie was released in 1980 and was an unexpected twist on the typical spy storylines. It follows retiring CIA agent Miles Kendig (Walter Matthau) after he threatens to release his memoirs to intelligence agencies across the world. The blundering CIA sets off after him in an attempt to stop him.

The film’s crescendo comes when Kendig customizes a small biplane to be controlled by remote control, an idea ahead of its time. The plane, pursued by the KGB in the air, suddenly explodes as if shot. But, Kendig had deliberately destroyed the plane via his remote control, and those pursuing him believed him to be dead.

3. Top Secret!

Top Secret! (1984) follows American singer Nick Rivers (Val Kilmer) as he travels to Germany for a music festival. Little does he know that this festival is a diversion by the East German government wanting to reunite the country under their rule.

Nick meets a woman who is part of the resistance, which starts a wild adventure including a German prison, potential execution, and a bomb called the “Polaris naval mine” that can destroy NATO’s entire submarine fleet.

Without giving too much away, viewers will delight in the rescue attempts (featuring a cow outfit), the chemistry between Nick and the heroine, and an underwater fight at a bar.

4. Real Men

This 1987 classic is a top choice for lovers of sci-fi films and spy comedies. Jim Belushi and John Ritter star in this out-of-the-ordinary film. Belushi is a competent secret agent tailing some Russian bad guys. Ritter is a dad and insurance agent who accidentally gets mixed up in the scenario.

Things take a rather odd turn when a chemical spill that will kill humanity occurs, and aliens arrive on Earth to help. The aliens offer two solutions: cleaning up the disaster or using the “Big Gun” to destroy the planet. The aliens only trust one man to bring them a glass of water (what they want in exchange for their help), but this man is no longer alive, so Ritter’s character is recruited.

5. Get Smart, Again!

This made-for-TV comedy released in 1989 features one major “gadget”—a weather control machine. KAOS, the international evil organization, schemes to use this machine to get billions of dollars from the US government.

Maxwell Smart is on the case to foil KAOS’ plans, reestablishing CONTROL (a secret US counterintelligence featured in Get Smart! TV series) to fight the bad guys.