Hopscotch

R

Released Sep 26, 1980

1 hr. 44 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

81%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

When CIA operative Miles Kendig (Walter Matthau) deliberately lets KGB agent Yaskov (Herbert Lom) get away, his boss (Ned Beatty) threatens to retire him. Kendig beats him to it, however, destroying his own records and traveling to Austria where he begins work on a memoir that will expose all his former agency's covert practices. The CIA catches wind of the book and sends other agents after him, initiating a frenetic game of cat and mouse that spans the globe.

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Critics Consensus

Boosted by a deftly underplayed performance from Walter Matthau, Hopscotch is a Cold War spy caper with comic bounce.

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steve m

A thinking man's spy movie, not a physical fighting spy movie. People who have never worked for the Federal government will not believe the upper management character, but it's pretty accurate IMO.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

rich h

A whimsical spy thriller...and a pure joy to watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The sum of implausible scenarios and humor that sometimes misfires makes this a disappointing viewing. Matthau and Jackson, though, are, as always, fun to watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of those films that may not be as good as you remembered it, Hopscotch finds Walter Matthau covering a lot of the same ground he did in Charley Varrick, but without the violence or thrills. While his character also spends most of this film outsmarting pursuers and ultimately faking his own death, the grittiness with which Don Siegel infused Varrick has been traded for light comedy and bloodless intrigue by veteran director Ronald Neame. Perhaps too well mannered for its own good, Hopscotch imagines a world populated by gentle, cultured, middle-aged spies that prefer Mozart to gunplay, where CIA agents are stymied by growling dogs, and the KGB willingly hands over sensitive information in the name of good sportsmanship.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

steve d

Matthau is good but the script doesn't help him out.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Frances H

This flick is worth watching just to hear Matthau singing the opera aria alone, but it is even better than that--the nifty plot and the repartee with Jackson, who starred with in House Calls as well, made this film so much fun to watch!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/08/20

Full Review

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Ronald Neame

Director

Walter Matthau

Miles Kendig

Glenda Jackson

Isobel

Sam Waterston

Cutter

Ned Beatty

Myerson

Herbert Lom

Yaskov

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

Matthau is laconic yet charming, and he comes dangerously close to letting us know how cute he is.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 2, 2021

Full Review

Harper Barnes

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Funny, engaging, sometimes highly improbable, but who cares?

Jun 2, 2021

Full Review

Michael Blowen

Boston Globe

Even Matthau's slumping shoulders can't carry the weight of Ronald Neame's heavy-handed direction.

Jun 2, 2021

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Effortless...a bon bon of a spy comedy.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 12, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

An extremely satisfying confection that derives most of its juice from yet another superlative Walter Matthau performance.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 1, 2021

Full Review

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

At moments... "Hopscotch" stumbles, but Matthau's low-key, but playful characterization always gets it back on track again.

Jun 2, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

When CIA operative Miles Kendig (Walter Matthau) deliberately lets KGB agent Yaskov (Herbert Lom) get away, his boss (Ned Beatty) threatens to retire him. Kendig beats him to it, however, destroying his own records and traveling to Austria where he begins work on a memoir that will expose all his former agency's covert practices. The CIA catches wind of the book and sends other agents after him, initiating a frenetic game of cat and mouse that spans the globe.

Director: Ronald Neame
Executive Producer: Otto Plaschkes
Screenwriter: Brian Garfield, Bryan Forbes
Distributor: AVCO Embassy Pictures
Production Co: International Film Investors
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 26, 1980, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016

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