Sometimes an actor is so talented and charismatic you would swear they have rocket-fuel pumping through their veins. Kate McKinnon is one such person. For the past few years, the SNL vet has been one solid role away from blasting off into super-stardom. Director Susanna Fogel’s latest picture, the action/comedy, The Spy Who Dumped Me, looks like the perfect launching pad. The film pairs McKinnon with an ideal straight (wo)man in Mila Kunis and a director who enables her shoot for the stars performance.

Audrey is just a regular gal. She works a dead-end job at a Whole Foods-type store by day and spends her nights at a bar playing video games and hanging out with her kooky best friend Morgan (Kate McKinnon). The two ladies can’t figure out why Audrey’s handsome and mysterious boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux) ghosted her. Spoilers: Drew has his hands full being a spy. He comes running back after Audrey and Morgan threaten to burn his things. Drew stashed a valuable secret flash drive in his old junk and a group of equally handsome and mysterious evil men are hunting it down. All hell breaks loose when both sides show up at Audrey’s place. A gunned down Drew asks Audrey to complete his mission; deliver the flash drive to his contact in Europe before it falls into the wrong hands.

The Spy Who Dumped Me is dumb, even by dumb-movie standards. This film bombards you with, this-makes-no-sense moments. You must retreat to the recesses of your lizard-brain to make it the whole way through without slapping yourself on the head and saying, “Oh brother.” Nobody wants Christopher Nolan-level realism in this goofy buddy comedy. The problem is the film spends too much time jumping through narrative hoops to explain what just happened or what happens next. And even then, things don’t make a lick of sense. This film is at its best when the two friends vibe off each other and each minute of screen time spent justifying the wonky plot detracts from the movie.

Bad Boys and Rush Hour work as action/comedies by blending a solid mix of action, comedy, and drama. They have gut-busting laughs, top-notch action sequences, and even some real dramatic moments. The Spy Who Dumped Me is an action/comedy with an emphasis on the comedy. DOP Barry Peterson does his damndest to give the action sequences some legitimacy. He makes mountains out of an action/comedy molehill. Secret agents’ fists slice through the air to deliver crippling strikes, cars roar down narrow European streets, and bullets rip into tables and chandeliers in a fancy restaurant. Peterson knows the action/comedy genre, having worked on 22 Jump Street, Central Intelligence, and Game Night. And at a glance, this film looks the part of a decent action film. But there’s no real threat or sense of tension during the action scenes. Each one plays out like an action-movie parody.

The Spy Who Dumped Me’s crass, violent, and silly jokes don’t let up. Susanna Fogel and David Iserson’s script deploys f-bombs, dick jokes, and bullets to the head to get the audience laughing. If you have a morbid sense of humour, then this movie is right up your alley. Be warned: Most of the jokes don’t land. Fortunately, the ones that do are strong enough to make up for the many duds. And watching Kate McKinnon treat scenes like she’s in an SNL sketch doesn’t get old.

Kunis is charming as the fish out of water action-hero and straight (wo)man to McKinnon’s lunacy. But McKinnon is the story here. McKinnon, tears through the film like Jurassic Park’s T-Rex, devouring her co-stars’ performances like that goat on the feeding tray. She’s vibrating on a whole other frequency than the rest of the cast. You can argue her performance is the work of an unstoppable comedic force or an ambitious comedian who needs to be reigned in. Both statements are likely true. She blasts through each scene with a crazy-eyed intensity that few people on the planet can match. It’s the best part of the movie but also throws the rest of the film off its tonal axis.

Above all the shootouts, car chases, and spy shenanigans, this film tells a story about a deep friendship. As unbelievable as this movie gets, you always believe in the meaningful connection between Audrey and Morgan. The Spy Who Dumped Me is a love story, but not one that’s romantic in nature. Audrey isn’t going anywhere in life and Morgan is certifiable, but these two women aren’t critical of each other. The jokes don’t come from cattiness, snark, or putdowns. Instead, they go out of their way to show each other encouragement. And unlike most buddy comedies, The Spy Who Dumped Me never drives a wedge between the two leads to create third-act drama. Their love is unconditional.

Given the talent involved, The Spy Who Dumped Me has the wrong priorities. It’s grittier than you expect and not as funny as you hope. Kunis and McKinnon form a fine comedy duo but don’t come close to matching the comedic highs of their action/comedy predecessors. While The Spy Who Dumped Me isn’t a good overall film, there are enough good moments to justify buying a ticket.