Written by Linda
November 07, 2008
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies won the Golden Space Needle Audience Award at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2006, and I could see why. I'll bet this film had the masses screaming with laughter.
Hm. A spoof of the heyday of grand spy movies of the 1950s sounds like a great idea, but hasn't this been done before? True, Mike Meyers made beaucoup millions with his Austin Powers films, but he needs props like big ugly teeth, afro wigs, and ridiculous exaggeration. Sure, some fun was had, but I'd say that the crowd-pleasing OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies beats Mr. Powers at his own game.
While James Bond was featured in novel after spy novel by Ian Fleming, France apparently had its own spy series with the character of OSS 117.There were a few movies made back in the 70s, but he kind of petered out in pop culture. So now the character is brought back, reinvented tongue-in-cheek. Apparently you can still read the original book Nest of Spies, but I'll bet you it isn't as goofy as this movie.
Jean Dujardin plays Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath (aka super-spy OSS 117) who is sent to Cairo on a mission. Apparently his beloved friend and colleague Jack Jefferson has disappeared! Zut alors! Oh, Monsieur Bonisseur remembers Jack fondly, their afternoons of playing paddleball on the beach, and how they laughed and laughed (and I guffawed every time they tossed their heads back in these glorious flashbacks).... Jack must be found!
But Cairo is a nest of spies! With the help of a beautiful woman named Larmina (Bérénice Bejo), Bonisseur must get to the bottom of the mystery. Apparently it involves a gorgeous Egyptian princess, some arms dealers, a militant Muslim group, Nazis, and some chickens.
But like most Bond films, plot is secondary to style. Dujardin is a fabulous comic actor, and looks more than a little like a young Sean Connery. Square-jawed handsome, he also plays off of his completely cheesy smile and stylish charm. But, unsurprisingly (since it is a spoof), OSS 117 is not the sharpest slice of cheese in town.
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies won the Golden Space Needle Audience Award at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2006, and I could see why. I'll bet this film had the masses screaming with laughter. The puns and the corn pone is fast and furious, while the visual ode to all that is the 1950s is completely flawless. This is a film both to admire and shamelessly enjoy while tossing back the popcorn.
