With an easy blueprint for a story, fun globetrotting opportunities, and plenty of ripe material to poke fun at, it makes sense why many filmmakers would want to make spy action comedies, with Susanna Fogel’s The Spy Who Dumped Me being the most recent example. And while Fogel clearly has an eye for well-shot and intense action, and is able to utilize the many talents found in its actors, Kate McKinnon in particular, much of the actual comedy fails to hit the mark, and the two genres fail to work cohesively, resulting in a tonal mismatch and a mediocre product.

The film opens with CIA operative and the titular spy Drew (Justin Theroux) in action, busting through doors, shooting up bad guys, and jumping out of buildings a la Ethan Hunt. The action is gritty and sharp, and surprisingly gruesome, including a man getting his neck snapped in half by Drew.

This introduction is intercut with Audrey (Mila Kunis) and her birthday party, which sees her best friend Morgan (Kate McKinnon) drunkenly sing karaoke, crack gags about an annoying friend, and ends with the two burning Drew’s old stuff, including a gag about skid marks in his underwear.

It is through the introduction the film’s biggest problem lies. As is, a story following a woman and her best friend thrust into a global conspiracy due to her ex being a CIA operative has plenty of potential both for fun action and clever comedic moments. And while the film tries to deliver both elements, when together, it fails to create something cohesive. The action sequences are surprisingly intense, with an excessive amount of gore and impalement. Meanwhile, the comedy mainly sticks to raunchy genital gags, and Minions references. Once in a while there’s an overtly silly death that’s connected to the action setpieces, such as a man getting his dunked into a pot of fondue, but for the most part, the action and comedy stay away from each other.

This tonal clashing can be done well, but the problem is that the film fails to combine the two in a way that feels natural. There are entire sequences that see Audrey and Morgan being chased down by MI6 operatives, played by Sam Heughan and Hasan Minhaj, or being held captive by a Ukranian gymnast assassin played by Ivanna Sakhno. The punches and fights and chases are brutal, with loud sound effects and plenty of blood. But after those scenes, the viewer watches Kunis and McKinnon get into silly banter or McKinnon act like a weirdo not at all dissimilar to her acting work on Saturday Night Live. It creates a bizarre hodgepodge of a film that feels like a goofy comic caper and a gritty ultraviolent B-movie are being played interchangeably.

It may be excusable if both the action and comedy deliver, and while the former is solid, the latter really misses the mark. Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon have decent chemistry, and while there are a couple of chuckles, and Kate McKinnon certainly delivers a lot of energy and charm to the film, most of the gags are eye-rollers, failing to deliver anything sharp or gut-busting, and instead relying on cheap gags and poor comedic timing. As is, it’s a film that doesn’t know what it wants to be, and isn’t able to use its talented cast to its fullest advantage.

The Spy Who Dumped Me is a rather disappointing venture, as its cast is aces and its premise is fun, but this tonal clashing and lack of strong humor is ultimately distracting and sours what could have been an enjoyable late summer comedy. Hopefully Kunis and McKinnon’s next projects will better utilize their wits and talents.