To be honest, the only reason I went to see "The Spy Who Dumped Me" is because I genuinely find Kate McKinnon to be hilarious in everything she does and because of my celebrity crush on Mila Kunis. On paper, this film seems like a winner - a funny yet tense thriller in the same vein as "Spy," with Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon running around the globe. Yet this film finds a way to take all the fun and appeal of these two lovely actresses and turns it into a tedious, mean-spirited waste of time.
The biggest problem with "The Spy Who Dumped Me" is that it doesn't know what it wants to do with its two main leads, switching wildly between dead-serious spy action sequences and dirty toilet humor while never stopping to give these girls some traits or personality. Kunis plays Audrey and the only thing we learn about her is that she never finishes anything, while McKinnon plays Morgan who is like if Daffy Duck was reincarnated in the body of a woman and was way too personal with everyone she met. Beyond these quirks and tiny snippets of character, the film never offers a reason for why they act this way or why they would go all around Europe, aside from the script telling them to.
Another problem is the whiplash between its constant genre switching. It's not just that the action and comedy don't compliment each other, like they do in "Spy," but that they're both so off-putting when done back to back. It's night and day between its gritty, gruesome action sequences and fourth-grade level humor, and it's hard to get a read on what this film was going for.
The only thing the action and comedy have in common is that both are unbelievably mean-spirited. In every action sequence, blood and violence is used in extremely graphic detail, while many characters are beat-up or killed for no reason other than to have a body count. The comedy doesn't fair much better, as Audrey and Morgan ruin as many lives as they can throughout Europe without any concern for others. It comes across as the filmmakers having no respect for humanity, especially when our heroes are just as despicable as the villains.
It's hard to get invested in any of this movie when there's more bloodshed than a slasher flick, worse humor than an Adam Sandler comedy, and no redeeming qualities to its cast of characters or their journey.
Even if you like Mila Kunis or Kate McKinnon like me, don't waste your money and time on "The Spy Who Dumped Me." This is a dull, unremarkable film that can't make up its mind on what genre it wants to be and doesn't bother to give its leads any character. While Kunis and McKinnon do well with what they're given, this is overshadowed by how ugly and horrific this film can be, always to unnecessary levels. If you want a good spy thriller, save your breath on this one and go see "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" again.
Final Grade: D+
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