OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009) - Movie Marathon Drive-Thru Review: Film #4

On the Menu: OSS 117: LOST IN RIO (2009)

Ingredients: Jean Dujardin, Louise Monot, Rüdiger Vogler, Alex Lutz, Reem Kherici, Pierre Bellemare and Ken Samuels. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius. Run time: 101 minutes. Rated: Unrated. 

At First Bite: It was described as "possibly the 2nd funniest spy spoof ever" on the DVD cover, so that got me interested. Well, that and the cover art included the hero, two hotties, a hippie, a Nazi, an Asian gang and two guys in luchador masks. 

Tough to Swallow: Everything is meant to be ridiculous, so I can't complain. Even the repeated flashbacks are funny.

Something to Chew On: The language track is French.

Though it parodies Bond movies, the original OSS 117 novels were out in 1949. Ian Fleming published his first Bond novel in 1953. The OSS 117 movies from the 1960s were played straight.

The original spoof is titled OSS 117: CAIRO, NEST OF SPIES.

The settings for the two OSS 117 films are the same as the ones used in consecutive Bond flicks, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME and MOONRAKER.

Aftertaste: Even having not seen the original, I didn't feel left out on knowing the lead character, Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, aka OSS 117. He's a ladies man like Bond, but he's sometimes clueless and always inappropriate. Roger Ebert described the secret agent as "cheerfully racist."

Every situation is a riot -- whether it be a hospital chase scene, a shootout or a hippie orgy.

I knew it was going to be great when a damsel in distress referred to the Chinese as "dirty Reds" and OSS 117, obviously not understanding, "corrected" her: "Dirty yellows." She corrects him, but he laughs her off as though she's just a silly woman.

He doesn't understand his offense, and that's what makes the movie.

Rating: