The Spy Who Loved Me

 Review

Common Sense Media says

1977's 007 still gettin' lucky in underwater lair.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that sex and spying go together here, in almost comical degrees. The tone is set when James Bond and his counterpart, the Russian woman superspy, are introduced with matching bedroom scenes. She even goes by the code-name XXX, which was a common ad hype (not an official MPAA rating) used for pornography. There are numerous deaths from bombs and machine guns, and a giant assassin who kills people by biting.

  • Bond accepts a harem girl as a sex offering from an old school friend. Of course, 007 is smart, heroic, and resourceful otherwise, and he even saves the life of a female Soviet agent out to kill him (of course they go to bed thereafter). This heroine is set up to be the equivalent of Bond, but when it comes to the tough stuff, she still needs lots of rescuing.
  • Much hand-to-hand fighting, kicking, and falling from great heights. Soldiers open fire on one another with machine guns, grenades, bombs, even nuclear weapons. The addition of an assassin who kills by biting people to death (non-explicitly) is a nasty touch. A woman is fed to a shark.
  • Nude women (some in silhouette, some not) cavort in the trippy opening-credit montage, and female characters throughout wear bikinis and revealing gowns. There's a brief glimpse of the heroine in the shower. James Bond is a tireless lover as always, and is shown in bed with various lethal ladies. Sexual interludes are described in heavy euphemism and innuendo.
  • Not applicable.
  • Sportscars and wristwatches get special attention, and there are sly references to other movies (Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, For Your Eyes Only).
  • Recreational drinking and smoking (the heroine's cigarette smoke being a tranquilizer weapon).

What's the story?

Stromberg (Curt Jurgens), a shipping tycoon who dwells in a fantastic amphibious complex and has secretly developed technology to track and disable submarines, hijacks missile-laden submarines belonging to Britain as well as the USSR. London and communist Moscow set aside their enmity, charging James Bond (Roger Moore) and one of his Soviet counterparts, the Russian woman superspy Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach), to work together to find out who is responsible.


Is it any good?

 

THE SPY WHO LOVED ME was conceived as the biggest James Bond movie ever made, and indeed no expense was spared. A vast soundstage built in England for the ocean-going villain's lair set a world's record for size and was actually dedicated with great ceremony by the British prime minister. Even three decades later, in an era of digital landscapes and countless computer-generated extras, this movie looks impressively huge and also moves with a brisk pace, despite the bulk.

Of course, it is a Bond movie, and sex and spying go together here, almost comically so. That tone is set early on as both Bond and Anya are roused away from their respective bedmates by summonses from headquarters. The pre-AIDS era glamorous, casual sex was as inseparable from the Bond landscape as the action sequences, and comes across as much an unrealistic fantasy as the supervillain's world-domination plans. Still, some parents may find it makes The Spy Who Loved Me unsuitable for smaller kids.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the image that James Bond cast over real-life espionage; his fanciful, widescreen globetrotting adventures looking nothing like most real-life secret agents in the headlines. You might watch more realistic cloak-and-dagger thrillers like The Spy Who Came in from the Cold or The Falcon and the Snowman, with their unglamorous spies and informants, and wonder if 007 has attracted a lot of people to intelligence work who were disappointed at the lack of glamorous perks. They can also talk about 007's appeal, and why he continues to be so popular today.


This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Adult
April 9, 2008
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
A must-watch movie
An exellent movie, of course theres sex...it's Bond for crying out loud. violance is another issue but likewise, a minor one. A MUST SEE MOVIE!!!!

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 11 years old
January 5, 2009
 
good movie
The spy who loved me is a movie that starts being age appropriate at 12. Maybe at 10 but if you cant see explosions, guns and some nudity than you probably can't see this. I am eight and I had to cover my eyes at some parts.

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Teen, 14 years old
August 2, 2011
 
Surprising for a 1970s Bond movie.
My rating: PG-13 for intense action violence, some nudity and smoking.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
stupid title
this title really doesnt make any sense at all because there are tons of spys who love me so anyway norbit was a good movie there were however some gross parts what hey wait im doing the wrong title aw whatever screw you im not starting over idots i dont even like james bond so why did i watch all of his movies whatever all figure it out later. keep in mind the last word in the title loveDDDDDDDDDD thats past tense i think whatever that gives me something to think about to.

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Kid, 12 years old
July 19, 2010
 
should be R, NC-17 or X, but definetly not PG-13 or below!
Can be inapporpriate for PG year olds. there is one use of "f--k". and Most Contains

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Teen, 18 years old
July 3, 2009
 

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Teen, 15 years old
April 9, 2008
 
it was exciting
its not theres appropriate for kids under 14 theres some sex

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Teen, 15 years old
February 18, 2012
 
For older kids
Top Roger Moore film is filled with action and peril

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This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Topics:adventures
Studio:MGM/UA
Director:Lewis Gilbert
Cast:Barbara Bach, Curt Jurgens, Roger Moore
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:127 minutes
Theatrical release date:July 7, 1977
DVD release date:October 22, 2002
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:spy sex and violence

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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