Synopsis

Wallace Ritchie travels from Iowa to London for his birthday, but his wealthy brother sends him to an interactive theater experience instead of the family dinner. When Wallace answers a phone call meant for a real hit man, he is mistaken for a spy. Believing the ensuing assassinations, kidnappings, and international conspiracy are part of the show, he accidentally disrupts a plan to reignite the Cold War.

Factoids & Trivia

• The screenplay was adapted from Robert Farrar's novel Watch That Man. Farrar said the premise began with a dinner-party remark about immersive theater events in which participants received instructions by telephone.

• The title is a parody of Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, while the mistaken-identity setup also echoes Hitchcock's North by Northwest.

• Filming used London locations as well as Three Mills Studios in London's East End and Elstree Film Studios.

• Wallace's passport joke includes a photograph of Bill Murray's character Carl Spackler from Caddyshack.

• A government agent seen near the end has the surname Venkman, recalling Murray's character in Ghostbusters.

• The movie playing on the kitchen television is Copycat, another film made by Jon Amiel.

• The film marked Eddie Marsan's theatrical movie debut.

• Released in the United States on November 14, 1997, the film earned about $13.7 million worldwide against a reported $20 million budget.