(Hence the title of this blog … condor instead of mouse … never mind.)
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| Impressive wingspan! |
Essentially a comedic spy movie with a bit of average-joe-becomes-hero hijinks thrown in, the film often feels like a spoof of the Roger Moore era of the James Bond series – which is rather odd in and of itself. I love the Roger Moore Bond films, so this was actually right up my alley.
Star Michael Crawford (the Phantom of the Opera himself) can’t do an American accent to save his life; why they didn’t hire an American actor, or at least someone that could do the accent, is something I honestly can’t fathom. It’s not like Woody Wilkins (our hero’s real name) ever has to break out in song during his mission or anything like that. Maybe they were trying to appeal to fans of his British sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em – but I doubt it. Accented or not, Crawford quickly grows on you with a genial teeth-and-curls charm.
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| The Spy Who Hugged Me |
Co-star Barbara Carrera is very chic with her flowy outfits and Russian accent, and would go on to be a (quasi)real “Bond girl” in the (semi)007 film Never Say Never Again (kinda). Oliver Reed makes a surprisingly menacing villain, pulling off a convincing Russian accent and brusque demeanor - no doubt due to the fact he was usually half-full of vodka during filming.
The movie is pretty dumb – quite often there are over-long “wacky fight scenes” (expect to hear about a lot of these in the live action Disney film canon) or disguise-based gags that fall flat; typical stuff for spy spoofs, unfortunately. And, of course, you can always see the wires whenever Woody takes flight – but no matter. For a certain audience, especially those who can appreciate an odd cult comedy, Condorman is harmless fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I give it four bottles of Stoli!
Also, the Condormobile is awesome.
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| That's right - Pixar loves Condorman |
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