‘I Spy’ some senseless laughs here

A secret agent goes undercover to retrieve a stealth bomber before

it can be armed and deployed to kill millions of innocent civilians.

Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy’s updated “I Spy” shares only the

title and ethnic mix of its lead characters with the original TV

series starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby. Unlike the successful TV

series, the “remake” has only one partner trained and skilled as a

bona fide crime fighter. Wilson falls somewhere on the “spy scale”

between James Bond and Peter Seller’s Inspector Clouseau. While

Wilson fancies himself closer to 007, his superiors and co-workers

have yet to be convinced, given his on-the-job performance in the

film’s opening sequence.

Murphy plays a prizefighter, turning in a performance resembling a

dead-on parody of Murphy’s own superstar persona. He has an entourage

catering to his every whim, refers to himself in the third person and

needs to be in absolute control, calling the shots in every

situation. Unlike Wilson’s character, Murphy’s superiors and

co-workers are convinced of his talents and skills, given his 57-0

winning streak.

The men’s conflicting personalities create a hilarious mix of grab

bag antics, as each tries to be in charge.

The partnership between Wilson and Murphy, along with director

Betty Thomas’ ability to shoot comedy action scenes to elicit

unexpected laughs, puts “I Spy” on the list of movies to see when you

just want to leave all cares behind and enjoy two hours of mindless

entertainment.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 39, produces commercial videos and

documentaries.

It’s stupid, adolescent, hysterical humor

A great film acts as a mirror that allows us to look deep inside

ourselves; uncovers our innermost feelings, forces us to examine our

beliefs and shows us a reflection of ourselves that we may never have

otherwise seen. “Jackass” forces us to look in the mirror and ask the

question, “Am I a jackass?”

The answer is yes. This movie is hysterical, and I feel like a

jackass for laughing my head off while it was playing.

“Jackass” is flat-out wrong. This movie never should have been

made. It has no redeeming value whatsoever. Basically, this movie

documents what happens when adolescent males become legal adults and

have access to beer.

Think of Beavis and Butthead without the intellectual content.

Think of a guy putting a toy car in an uncomfortable place, just to

mess with the doctor who examines the X-ray. This is David

Letterman’s stupid human tricks, where the contestants give

themselves concussions and make themselves barf. It’s guys trying to

impress each other by testing the thickness of their skulls.

Why is it funny? When a beautiful woman whacks her head against a

pile of boards, we all feel concerned for her. When a doofus guy does

the same thing, we laugh at him.

This movie is about doofus guys whacking their heads against

boards and doing other things to hurt themselves. It tests your

ability to laugh at someone else’s pain.

The old cliche is that comedy is just someone else’s tragedy. When

shooting spit wads in school, we all heard the line that it just

isn’t funny until someone gets hurt. OK, that might not be exactly

what the teacher said, but you get the idea. When one of the guys

takes on a female kickboxing champion, it’s funny to watch her beat

the tar out of him.

We laugh at things as a way to release the emotions that we feel

when our fears are shown to us at a safe distance. Imagine doing your

first-ever tightrope walk over a pool of live alligators. One of the

guys gets on the tightrope wearing only a jockstrap. He hangs raw

meat from the waistband of the jockstrap and teases the hungry

‘gators with it. This is insanity.

Jackass is refreshing because it is fearless. This isn’t a safe

movie. It constantly tests your boundaries. The stunts are surreally

painful and sick.

At the same time, the honest male camaraderie makes it all feel

forgivable and hysterically funny. It’s a great look at the stupid

things guys do to impress each other and make each other laugh.

You’ll never see women trying to see who can get the most painful

paper cut.

This is testosterone-crazed insanity. It’s humor for adolescent

men of all ages, and the women who tolerate us.

* JIM ERWIN, 40, is a technical writer and computer trainer.