20 Best Spy Comedies
From 'Austin Powers' to 'Spies Like Us,' Moviefone counts down the 20 best spy comedies of all time.
(L-R) Kaley Cuoco as “Emma” and David Oyelowo as “Dave” in the action comedy, 'Role Play,' a Prime Video release. Photo courtesy of Prime Video.
Premiering on Prime Video beginning January 12th is the new spy comedy 'Role Play,' starring Kaley Cuoco ('Meet Cute') and David Oyelowo ('Lawman: Bass Reeves').
In honor of the new film, Moviefone is counting down the top 20 best spy comedies of all time.
Let's begin!
20. 'Spy Hard' (1996)
(L to R) Leslie Nielsen as Dick Steele and Nicollette Sheridan as Veronique Ukrinsky in 'Spy Hard.' Photo: Hollywood Pictures.
The evil Gen. Rancor (Andy Griffith) has his sights set on world domination, and only one man can stop him: Dick Steele (Leslie Nielsen), also known as Agent WD-40. Rancor needs to obtain a computer circuit for the missile that he is planning to fire, so Steele teams up with Veronique Ukrinsky (Nicollette Sheridan), a KGB agent whose father designed the chip. Together they try to locate the evil mastermind's headquarters, where Veronique's father and several other hostages are being held.
19. 'Agent Cody Banks' (2003)
Recruited by the U.S. government to be a special agent, nerdy teenager Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) must get closer to cute classmate Natalie (Hilary Duff) in order to learn about an evil plan hatched by her father. But despite the agent persona, Cody struggles with teen angst.
18. 'My Spy' (2020)
A hardened CIA operative (Dave Bautista) finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl (Chloe Coleman), having been sent undercover to surveil her family.
17. 'Bad Company' (2002)
When a Harvard-educated CIA agent is killed during an operation, the secret agency recruits his twin brother (Chris Rock).
16. 'I Spy' (2002)
When the Switchblade, the most sophisticated prototype stealth fighter created yet, is stolen from the U.S. government, one of the United States' top spies, Alex Scott (Owen Wilson), is called to action. What he doesn't expect is to get teamed up with a cocky civilian, World Class Boxing Champion Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy), on a dangerous top secret espionage mission. Their assignment: using equal parts skill and humor, catch Arnold Gundars (Malcolm McDowell), one of the world's most successful arms dealers.
15. 'Ghosted' (2023)
(L to R) Chris Evans and Ana de Armas in 'Ghosted,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
Salt-of-the-earth Cole (Chris Evans) falls head over heels for enigmatic Sadie (Ana de Armas) — but then makes the shocking discovery that she’s a secret agent. Before they can decide on a second date, Cole and Sadie are swept away on an international adventure to save the world.
14. 'Spies in Disguise' (2019)
Two Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Driver) travel to seventeenth century Japan which has, under the Tokugawa shogunate, banned Catholicism and almost all foreign contact.
13. 'Spies Like Us' (1985)
Two bumbling government employees (Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd) think they are U.S. spies, only to discover that they are actually decoys for nuclear war.
12. 'Spy Kids' (2001)
Carmen (Alexa PenaVega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara) think their parents are boring. Little do they know that in their day, Gregorio (Antonio Banderas) and Ingrid Cortez (Carla Gugino) were the top secret agents from their respective countries. They gave up that life to raise their children. Now, the disappearances of several of their old colleagues forces the Cortez' return from retirement. What they didn't count on was Carmen and Juni joining the "family business."
11. 'This Means War' (2012)
Two top CIA operatives (Chris Pine and Tom Hardy) wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman (Reese Witherspoon).
10. 'Get Smart' (2008)
(L to R) Anne Hathaway as Agent 99 and Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart in 'Get Smart.' Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
When the identities of secret agents from Control are compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) promotes hapless but eager analyst Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) and teams him with stylish, capable Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), the only spy whose cover remains intact. Can they work together to thwart the evil plans of KAOS and its crafty operative?
9. 'Spy' (2015)
A desk-bound CIA analyst (Melissa McCarthy) volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent diabolical global disaster.
8. 'The Spy Who Dumped Me' (2018)
A couple of thirtysomething best friends (Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon) unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy when one’s ex-boyfriend (Justin Theroux) shows up at their apartment with a team of deadly assassins on his trail.
7. 'Central Intelligence' (2016)
After he reunites with an old pal (Dwayne Johnson) through Facebook, a mild-mannered accountant (Kevin Hart) is lured into the world of international espionage.
6. 'RED' (2010)
After surviving an assault from a squad of hit men, retired CIA black ops agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) reassembles his old team for an all-out war. Frank reunites with old Joe (Morgan Freeman), crazy Marvin (John Malkovich) and wily Victoria (Helen Mirren) to uncover a massive conspiracy that threatens their lives. Only their expert training will allow them to survive a near-impossible mission -- breaking into CIA headquarters.
5. 'Knight and Day' (2010)
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in 'Knight and Day.' Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox.
A fugitive couple (Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz) goes on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.
4. 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' (2014)
The story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid (Taron Egerton) into the agency's ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
3. 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery' (1997)
As a swingin' fashion photographer by day and a groovy British superagent by night, Austin Powers (Mike Myers) is the '60s' most shagadelic spy, baby! But can he stop megalomaniac Dr. Evil (Myers) after the bald villain freezes himself and unthaws in the '90s? With the help of sexy sidekick Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley), he just might.
2. 'True Lies' (1994)
A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
1. 'The In-Laws' (1979)
(L to R) Alan Arkin as Sheldon Kornpett and Peter Falk as Vince Ricardo in 1979's 'The In-Laws.' Photo: Warner Bros.
In preparation for his daughter's wedding, dentist Sheldon Kornpett (Alan Arkin) meets Vince Ricardo (Peter Falk), the groom's father. Vince, a manic fellow who claims to be a government agent, then proceeds to drag Sheldon into a series of chases and misadventures from New York to Central America.
