KIRK DOUGLAS IN 'CATCH ME A SPY' WITH TOM COURTENAY

Marlène Jobert with Kirk Douglas and Trevor Howard in CATCH ME A SPY Year: 1971 Rating: **1/2

In one scene where French starlet Marlène Jobert plugs her nose for a mousy-sounding voice to thwart cat-and-mouse counterpart Kirk Douglas, it's actually less annoying than her real one... 

But she's super cute, probably all that mattered to director Dick Clement in his spy-spoof followup to the spy-spoof OTLEY that starred Tom Cortenay in his penultimate big-screen role until THE DRESSER... 

Marlène Jobert and Tom Courtenay in CATCH ME A SPY

Herein in-between Tom's a bumbling spy trying to follow before befriending Jobert; the latter (whose pop Trevor Howard is vastly underused) on a honeymoon interrupted by her enigmatic husband's arrest, connected to Douglas's vain attempts to retrieve Russian microfilm from the couple's luggage...

And while Kirk's not bad doing lightweight action/comedy, his role should have gone to Courtenay, not only befitting the slapdash pace but with far better chemistry with Jobert, who Douglas seems to be babysitting (as opposed to parenthetically romancing) throughout this semi-entertaining yet entirely-uneven cold war romp.  

Marlène Jobert and Tom Courtenay in CATCH ME A SPY

Tom Courtenay in CATCH ME A SPY

Marlène Jobert in CATCH ME A SPY

Marlène Jobert and Tom Courtenay in CATCH ME A SPY

Angharad Rees and Kirk Douglas in CATCH ME A SPY

Marlène Jobert and Tom Courtenay in CATCH ME A SPY

Poster Image for CATCH ME A SPY

THE SWEENEY actors John Thaw and Garfield Morgan in CATCH ME A SPY

THE SWEENEY actors John Thaw and Garfield Morgan