(rated PG-13, 110 mins.)
Very loosely based on the 1960s television show that starred Bill Cosby, about two men tossed together, one black and one white, to assist in top secret espionage for a government agency. The difference: in this, they’ve reversed the roles. The plot, what little there is, involves the Air Force’s missing stealth bomber, the country’s new top-secret weapon. The fate of the free world is in the hands of Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy) a championship boxer and Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) a CIA super-agent. Why they are teamed in the first place is never clear? As a matter of fact, Robinson was about to go into the rink for his 58th undefeated boxing match. This seems like a better storyline. Director Betty Thomas best known for “The Brady Bunch Movie” and Howard Stern’s “Private Parts” re-teams with Murphy from her “Doctor Doolittle” days, but clearly focuses on hoping the two comic leads will bounce off each other. Oh, they bounce alright. Murphy’s loud and charming energy can’t seem to balance out Wilson’s subtle, dry humor. Aside from a couple amusing scenes (like when George W. Bush phones Wilson) these buddy “Rush Hour 2” type flicks, are getting annoying. Famke Janssen is the love interest with Malcolm McDowell, underused, but doing good job in a bad movie, as the bad guy “Switchblade.” Somebody needs to tell Eddie “Pluto Nash” Murphy, that his “48 Hours” of fame are over.
