Schwarzenegger Again Plays CIA Agent and Family Man in Spy Series ‘Fubar,’ With Mixed Results

Netflix is streaming “Fubar,” a flawed and ridiculous eight-episode spy series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Despite writing riddled with more plot holes than Santino Corleone in “The Godfather,” with the writer’s strike expected to limit new releases, it’s worth turning off your brain to enjoy.“Fubar,” produced by Skydance Television and Blackjack Films, casts Mr. Schwarzenegger as CIA agent and family man Luke Brunner, who discovers his daughter, Emma Brunner — played by Monica Barbaro — is also in the agency, something neither knew.Also ignorant of the truth is Tally Bruner, portrayed by Fabiana Udenio, the ex-wife Mr. Schwarzenegger is desperate to win back and the mother whose suffering after years of lies is something Emma struggles with inflicting on her boyfriend.After half a century on the big screen, Mr. Schwarzenegger slips into action roles like a comfortable pair of lederhosen. Here, under an absurd head of dyed hair, he plays a character ten years younger than his 75 years, but is still an imposing presence, thick Austrian accent at once synonymous with menace and comedy.The plot is a throwback to Mr. Schwarzenegger’s “True Lies,” the 1994 film where he played an spy opposite Jamie Lee Curtis as the credulous wife who is a little too shocked that Mr. Schwarzenegger — who maintains the bulk from four Mr. Universe titles — isn’t working a run-of-the-mill job.Tom Arnold, who co-starred in “True Lies,” gets a cameo here as Norm Carlson, an interrogation expert on the CIA payroll who’s joyful about plying his trade, after the story stops cold for incongruous discussions on the merits of torture.You’d expect the charisma of veteran actors to elevate the script, but it’s Milan Carter as Mr. Schwarzenegger’s handler, Barry Putt, who steals the show. His classic 1980s cartoon t-shirts and references to everything from Star Wars to Spider-man were pitch perfect.I’m not sure what Super-Soldier Serum Mr. Carter took to learn acting and comedy, but more in Hollywood could use that injection. He has the only true character arc in “Fubar” and never devolves into the trope of a nerd who’s only there to make the hero seem tougher.It’s unfortunate that a ton of weaknesses hold “Fubar” back from being great, as was the original and wonderful “Jean-Claude Van Johnson,” starring another ‘80s action hero, Jean-Claude Van Damme, who poked fun at the genre and himself with winks at the camera in ways “Fubar” never manages to do.If not “fouled up beyond all recognition,” the acronym from which “Fubar” takes its name, the series still struggles to find its footing. It wants to be a farce but seems to think that means crude remarks and scripting unserious CIA agents who, if they were real, would explain the agency being surprised by the fall of the Soviet Union.“Fubar” wants to be a family drama, but the anger slung between father and daughter is often hateful, leaving viewers wondering why they should care about their reconciliation if they care so little about each other.To quote Alan Alda’s Lester from Woody Allen’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors” in 1989, “If it bends, it’s funny; if it breaks, it’s not funny.” There’s too much breaking in “Fubar” — of trust, of rules, of social norms, of innocent people who the characters murder without a second thought.Killing henchmen can be amusing in a spy sendup like “The Pink Panther” or “Archer” but “Fubar” presents its stakes as real, which positions the characters as sociopaths who revel in having a license to kill, beat, or betray anyone who gets in their way.The CIA director, Dot Okoye — another strong performance by Barbara Eve Harris — remarks that her agents behave like kindergarteners. The character might have performed the role of a straight man like the Chief in “Get Smart,” but she doesn’t rein them in, which makes her seem incompetent.“Fubar” has all these flaws and more, but strong performances by a talented cast make it worth watching, especially if the writer’s strike lingers. Just unplug your intellect and enjoy the ride, with the hope that the expected second season presents comedy that isn’t fouled up quite so much.

Schwarzenegger Again Plays CIA Agent and Family Man in Spy Series ‘Fubar,’ With Mixed Results

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