It's not great, but it's not an absolute disaster. So, check it out if you're a Bond fan or if your a comedy fan. He's probably the third best actor to play Bond (behind Sean Connery and Pierce Bronson, and in front of, in this order: Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore and George Lazenby). But that's just proof Niven's great acting skills. He is the straight man in all of the shinnanigans, and he manages to be suave and dashing as Bond, even as an elder man. He was Ian Fleming's original choice to play Bond, and he does a good job as the retired agent. Actually, Niven as James Bond is the film's saving grace. So we have a typical action-filled Bond plot interweved with uneven comedy and some dialogue that is at times great.and at other times, weak. And he has the perfect plan to confuse his enemy: he codenames them all 'James Bond 007,' so SMERSH will be so confused that they won't know what's going on. He must stop SMERSH, one of his arch organizations, with the help of Monneypenny's daughter, his own daughter, and lots of different spies. The plotline follows the adventures of an elder Sir James Bond (played straightly by David Niven) stepping out of retirement after M is murdered. ('A View to a Kill' was probably the most painful of the whole franchise). It's not the worst of the Bond films, though, even as an unofficial one. Noah)- and though it follows the Bond formula pretty close, all in all, it falls short.

Many unrelated scenes are catapulted on top of each other, and while it features many good parts- both in action and in comedy (the car-chase scene is a highlight, as well as the showdown with Dr. Despite a huge budget and a terrific cast, the movie has a hard time finding its focus.

Unfortunately, it's really not very good. Therefore, I'll label it a 'spy comedy,' and not a spoof. I also have a hard time labeling this film as a spy spoof, since it has an appretiation for the stuff it is mocking, and the plot line in itself, if you were to take the funny elements out, would have stood as a pretty good serious film. James Bond spy films have always bordered self-parody anyway, so granted, this film can't be taken too seriously, but then again, neither can ANY Bond film. Not that that makes much of a difference. The makers got the rights to the Ian Fleming novel 'Casino Royale,' and feeling it was unwise to compete with Sean Connery, they chose to make it a comedy instead of a serious action flick. 'Casino Royale' is the black sheep of the Bond films.You might say it's the older brother that no one ever talks about.

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