‘OSS 117: Lost in Rio’: Silliness for spy movie fans

Published 9:02 pm Wednesday, June 30, 2010

You have to be a fan of a certain kind of 1960s spy picture to really dig “OSS 117: Lost in Rio.” Unlike its predecessor, “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies,” the jokes here aren’t quite as solid and the pacing isn’t quite as sure.

But if you do know the conventions of espionage movies, and you had a good time with the previous “OSS 117” spoof, then get ready for some swingin’ action.

Although these movies are based on a straight-faced series of French spy novels, the tone is strictly comedic. Agent 117, the loftily named Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, is a completely clueless dolt who bumbles his way through France’s secret missions during the Cold War.

The opening minutes manage to include a daft Dean Martin version of “Gentle on My Mind” and the slaughter of a dozen or so enemy spies (117, of course, walks away unscathed). In other words, the film quickly gets in gear.

It’s 1967, and our hero is sent to Brazil to dig up information on possible ex-Nazis. He teams up with an agent from Israeli intelligence, which allows the movie to uncork a bevy of appallingly anti-Semitic remarks issuing from agent 117’s mouth. The fact that the Israeli agent is also a woman allows our hero to display his chauvinist side as well, although he gets to do that in just about every scene.

Spoofy as it is, the interesting little wrinkle running beneath “Lost in Rio” is the way director Michel Hazanavicius pokes at certain tender spots: postwar France’s dealings with ex-Nazis, for instance, and the anti-Semitism that remained in place in Europe even after World War II.

Agent 117 is so gloriously stupid about all these things, he becomes the perfect vehicle for expressing them. And in Jean Dujardin, the “OSS 117” movies have the perfect actor — his fatuous grin makes even lame scenes sparkle.

And, truth be told, there are quite a few lame scenes. I wish I could say this sequel was as consistently sharp as the first movie, but it’s not. And at 101 minutes, it goes 20 minutes too long for the premise.

But I am a sucker for this kind of era-parody, which is done much more exactly here than in the “Austin Powers” films. The clothes, the music, the just-faded color of the photography — it’s all right on.

And when Agent 117 goes to a party and gets all psychedelic on us — well, critical standards no longer apply, I’m afraid. “Lost in Rio” will appeal to a very slim demographic, but those folks will find it a trippy flashback.