Spymate

Earlier today, I had the pleasure of sitting down and watching this fine work of cinematic beauty. Robert Vince is truly one of the most brilliant writers, producers, and directors that Satan has ever put on this earth. The interaction between the chimpanzee and his human sidekick were truly a joy to behold. The love scene was the only point in the film that did not seem perfectly choreographed. It seemed a little out of place and it was clear that the director had substituted the monkey for a human double. Quite disappointing. Notwithstanding this single indiscretion, however, the film was everything I could ask for in a film and more. I recommend this highly to anyone who is in need of entertainment, except potentially those with suicidal tendencies.

Nothing about this movie is particularly good. The story, the acting, the characters are all terrible. Don't expect any clever plot developments, original one-liners or anything extraordinary. Then you'll be okay.

I mean, it's a movie about a monkey(alright fine, it's a chimp for all you zoologists, for the rest of us it's a monkey) who happens to be a spy. What did you expect? Oscar-worthy content? But that doesn't mean you can't have fun watching it. Just watch this with your friends and family and I'll guarantee you'll have plenty of laughs.

There's lots of action, absurd spy gadgets, a monkey, circus performers, silly comedy, light drama and a happy ending(this doesn't count as a spoiler does it?). What's not to love?

Mike (Chris Potter) is in the spy business, even though he has a young daughter, Amelia (Emma Roberts). After a near disaster however in the Middle East, where he is rescued by his darling, sidekick chimp, Mike gives up his profession. Instead, he and his staff run a small circus, with the small ape as the star. However, can you keep a good spy down? Let's see. Amelia is very smart and she is recruited by a conniving, thieving scientist to work on a project with some glitches. Dad, not realizing anything is amiss, is glad to part with her for a day or so. But, its soon obvious that Amelia has been kidnapped and Mike has to gather the gang and so forth from the Caribbean to Japan to search out his daughter. Will he be successful? This is a fun family flick, with a nice cast and great scenery. Roberts, in one of her first big roles, is adorable, as is her dad and the precocious chimp. Yes, the story loses a bit of dazzle as it goes along but Pat Morita arrives to help keep the movie going. All in all, the flick is a very fine choice for a family night at the movies.

Going into this movie, I realized even before it started that I am not the audience for this kind of movie. I am an adult, and this movie was made for kids. While watching it, I did see why kids aged 8 or under might like it. The 10 year old girl is portrayed as being intelligent, there is plenty of slapstick, and what the chimpanzee is portrayed as doing will interest kids.

So kids might like this movie. What will adults think? Well, I will admit that a few things impressed me about the movie. The production values, including filming in several countries, make the movie look slicker and more expensive than typical direct-to-video kiddie flicks. And adults will be impressed by what the chimpanzee trainers were able to do with the chimpanzee. But despite things like these, I found the movie heavy going. It's very simple-minded at times, almost insulting to the intelligence. The movie also portrays some foreign people in a somewhat uncomfortable way that's close to being racist. If parents rent this movie for their kids, I recommend that they exit the living room while their kids watch the movie.

I am no stranger to film, having seen and analyzed all of the greatest films of our generation, from "The Godfather", to "Apocalypse Now", to "Citizen Kane". These films were amazing yes, with stunning cinematography, amazing acting, and beautifully written scripts. But none of these films have left me in awe like this film did. I had seen many chimp-based films in the past, from "Most Extreme Primate" to "Spymate", and with this I had no expectations of anything exceptional or good from this film. But I was mistaken. This beautifully irreverent satire of the classic propagandist spy film demonstrates that our generation is truly in a new renaissance of cinema, with this beautiful piece of artwork serving as our pièce de résistance, our Mona Lisa, our Sistine Chapel. This film gives me confidence, not only in the future of film, but in the future of society as a whole. In a world where art seems to be held second to corperate pandering and American consumerism, this film stands alone as a beacon against the tide of sellout films concerned only with money. And it not only stands alone, but it fights back against the tide, with its brilliant usage of satire and dry humor. It gives us, the viewer, an enthralling plot full of action and suspense, but does not focus on the action as many movies do, but instead focuses on the complex interpersonal relations between Minkey; a chimp spy who was tortured and experimented on by the United States government to transform him into a ruthlessly efficient killer, and unwittingly used as an instrument of American interventionism during the Cold War, until the Soviet Union discovers him, and the US government decides to abandon him, with his life only being protected by his partner, Mike, another US agent who struggles throughout the film between his brainwashed loyalty to the United States government, and his moral compass, in a similar way to the character Joker in the Kubrick film "Full Metal Jacket". The film shows the pair fighting for a cause that is morally ambiguous, doing the dirty work for a country that doesn't care for them. Another great central character is Mike's daughter, Amilea. This masterfully written character demonstrates a sense of total naivety, being unaware of the moral ambiguity and horrors that are truly present in the world. She is coerced by Dr. Farley--another great character--to help him build a weapon of mass destruction in the name of "science", and is central in the fight of moral ambiguity shown in the film. Overall, this chimp film had me in awe, and I will definitely be seeing this another few times. Thank you Robert Vince for delivering me this masterpiece.