When it is Kate McKinnon casting in the film, there will be a basic level cut off for comedy, and what is even more interesting is the steady witty involvement of Mila Kunnis in this Action-Comedy Drama. 

Two thirty-year-old best friends in Los Angeles – Audrey (Mila Kunis) and Morgan (Kate McKinnon) – are unintentionally drawn into a global conspiracy when Audrey’s ex-boyfriend unexpectedly shows up at their apartment with a group of lethal assassins following him. Unexpectedly, the two take action and set out to save the world, running across Europe from assassins and a mysterious but endearing British agent.

“The Spy Who Dumped Me,” a title as clever as the film itself, isn’t (completely) about the comedy. It’s the intense violence that contrasts sharply with the silly antics. I suppose that’s the point—the killings are actually more outrageous than anything you would see in a traditional spy film. This is ostensibly meant to be both a parody and a straightforward example of the genre at the same time — a difficult task to accomplish unless you are Edgar Wright. Over the course of the excessively long film, Susanna Fogel, who is also the co-writer and director, struggles to strike a tonal balance between the action and the comedy.

The fundamental theme of enduring female friendship — of two women supporting one another through thick and thin and eventually helping each other discover their long-elusive purpose in life — then lies beneath all of the characters’ misadventures while traveling the world. Undoubtedly, it’s a welcome idea to investigate, especially coming from a female director in the bloat of the summer blockbuster season, which is dominated by men. However, if the characters in question had been more fully realized, that element would have had a stronger resonance. Right now, every woman is essentially just a funny assortment of peculiarities.

As roommates and best friends who live in a small Los Angeles apartment together, Kunis and McKinnon co-star as Audrey and Morgan. Morgan is an unemployed actress, and Audrey works as a cashier at a grocery store similar to Trader Joe’s. Audrey is a timid person who never completes anything she starts, whereas Morgan is a natural performer who lives for every experience. However, the two friends find out that Drew (Justin Theroux), Audrey’s boyfriend, was actually a spy when he sends her a text message breaking up with her (Fogel and David Iserson’s script has one of the funnier lines about what they thought his day job was.)

Audrey and Morgan realize they must complete Drew’s mission when armed intruders storm into their house and shoot Drew dead in front of them. This mission takes them to Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna, Prague, and other places. The most McGuffiny of McGuffins is what they have to guard and get into the right hands, but it also makes for a few good sight gags.

Similar to Melissa McCarthy’s brilliant and fearless performance in the structurally similar but far superior “Spy,” a big part of the enjoyment of “The Spy Who Dumped Me” comes from watching these women learn how to survive dangerous situations over and over again, each time gaining a little more confidence. Clever, out-of-place antics give way to calculated and astute manoeuvres. Morgan learns to control her swagger, while Audrey finally acquires the one she’s always lacked. However, the jams they write out of are so intense and graphic that they always leave a bad taste in your mouth. There are many bizarre shootings and stabbings, as well as creative uses of fondue pots.

A barrage of gunfire destroys a restaurant full of customers. Ivanna Sakhno, an assassin turned Olympic gymnast whose appearance is reminiscent of a sinister Miley Cyrus, takes chilling pleasure in torturing and beating our heroines.

“The Spy Who Dumped Me” alternates between startling acts of violence and jocular humor, but it rarely successfully unites the two. A few scenes, like the one where McKinnon’s character uses her trapeze skills in a Berlin circus performance, are a rare example of it working.

On the other hand, the movie features an excellent ensemble of supporting actors who don’t get nearly enough screen time. A few enticing scenes feature McKinnon conversing on the phone with Jane Curtin and Paul Reiser, who play Morgan’s parents in New Jersey. It’s a clever casting choice that will make you want to see more. There is a single, incredibly brief scene featuring the incomparable Fred Melamed. Additionally, McKinnon enjoys a sparky but undeveloped flirtation with the stiff MI6 boss played by Gillian Anderson. Regarding Audrey, she seems to be on the verge of a strange relationship with a handsome British agent (Sam Heughan) who may be a better spy than her previous partner. However, he might not.

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