This film will available for streaming June 26th on Amazon Prime.
Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of films about tough guys being forced out of their confront zone and placed in the company of one of the biggest and most unexpected of threats… children. Kindergarten Cop, The Pacifier, The Game Plan and Playing with Fire are but a few examples in a long line of family-friendly titles featuring action heroes struggling in suburbia. The latest addition is My Spy, an amiable but unmemorable comedy that is unlikely to linger in the brain for more than a minute or two after the end credits roll.
The story begins with ex-Special Forces operative and new CIA agent JJ (Dave Bautista) working a case involving a plutonium deal at Chernobyl, Ukraine. After the hero’s identity is blown, he gets involved in a firefight, raising the ire of boss David Kim (Ken Jeong). Criticized for being unable to read situations and deal with problems in a reserved manner, he’s punished by being assigned a surveillance mission. Teamed with tech expert Bobbi (Kristen Schaal), the two hunker down in a Chicago apartment to watch Kate (Parisa Fitz-Henley) and Sophie (Chloe Coleman), the ex-sister-in-law and niece of one of the figures involved in the arms deal. Nine-year-old Sophie quickly uncovers the plot of the CIA agents and threatens to blow their cover. The child, who is struggling to make friends at school, coerces JJ into helping her fit in with other students, endangering them both.
With a family film like this, much of the humor is derived from the fact that the youngster comes across as smarter than many of the adults. Of course, this strains believability as JJ, who is seem earlier taking down killers with ease, is suddenly taking big pratfalls and kicks to the groin. While children will likely laugh, the humor is too blunt and several of the predictable gags land with a thud. At least the likable cast members do manage to eke a laugh or two out of the less-than-stellar material. This includes some amusing comments between JJ and Bobbi as they consider eliminating the child from the equation after their operation is discovered. References to murdering a youngster may not exactly be family-friendly material, but it does earn a chuckle.
Instead of focusing on the humor behind placing a child in the dangerous world of arms deals and spies, the story emphasizes the growing relationship between observer JJ and the family. The lead teaches Sophie how to stick up for herself, while she helps the agent get in touch with his sensitive side. It’s noble to focus on character and hope that the earnestness on display is engaging, the plot itself is so familiar and overly simple that it struggles to do so. Admittedly, there is some nice onscreen camaraderie between JJ and Sophie, but there’s only so much sentimentality that one can endure.
Things improve towards the close and the pay-off to the lengthy set-up is amusing, but it takes far too long to get to the good stuff. Up until the final act, the movie only occasionally cuts back to the bad guys, who are on another continent. The editing does little to add any tension or danger for the heroes. There are a couple of fun twists and turns during the climax, as Sophie and Bobbi rise to the task of helping to take down the villains. Yet this only leaves one wondering why the movie’s bad guys weren’t used much earlier. Instead of placing its characters in the middle of some outrageous and exciting situations throughout the running time, the story wraps things up just as it becomes interesting.
To be fair, the cast are fine and earn a few laughs, and the movie will be perfectly enjoyable fodder for children who want to see themselves outsmarting adults. Yet given the concept, almost everything about the first two-thirds of the movie is middle-of-the-road and ordinary. My Spy ends up being compromised by taking the easy route and ultimately feels like something of a missed opportunity.