WHEN HE SAID I DO, HE NEVER SAID WHAT HE DID.
Helen Tasker (Jamie Lee Curtis) has no idea that her boring husband (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is actually a top-secret government agent⦠until the day when sheās accidentally drawn into his adventures. The French action-comedy La Totale! (1991) served as inspiration for this overblown blockbuster that James Cameron still turned into a hit in spite of itself. A lighter touch might have been more interesting, and it has its sexist moments, but it is irresistibly larger-than-life, with amusing performances by the two leads as husband and wife; Tom Arnold and Bill Paxton are also well cast in supporting parts. A few spectacular set-pieces and nods at all the trappings of spy movies are icing on the cake.
1994-U.S. 141 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced by Stephanie Austin, James Cameron. Written and directed by James Cameron. Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Harry Tasker), Jamie Lee Curtis (Helen Tasker), Tom Arnold (Albert Gibson), Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Art Malik⦠Charlton Heston.
Trivia: Jodie Foster was allegedly first considered for the part of Helen.
Golden Globe: Best Actress (Curtis).
Last word:Ā “‘True Lies’ is […]Ā a very illogical film. It’s a romp. It’s a goofy movie. You can’t be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars shooting a scene that ultimately is goofy if you don’t have some sense of … I don’t know … flamboyance is a good term. You have to be willing to go with instinct. Because there are lots of logical people around who will tell you why you can’t do anything. There are always 20 bean counters and 15 logicians standing around telling you why you can’t do it. Doesn’t mean you can’t do it.” (Cameron, The Hollywood Reporter)