My Spy

**My Spy brings family-friendly comedy and a little spy action together to make a feel-good movie that is a lot of fun.** I watched this one with low expectations and only watched it because I wanted something on in the background while my three-year-old daughter was awake. I used to think these family films weren’t my kind of movies, but maybe the three-year-old daughter changed that because I was significantly more invested in this movie than expected! Dave Bautista’s emotionally closed-off tough guy spy finds his humanity and heart by protecting a little girl from danger. It was pretty much the happy family-friendly version of Man on Fire. It’s a plot we have seen before, but Dave Bautista’s comedy and Chloe Coleman’s charm made My Spy a worthwhile family comedy with a bit of adventure mixed in.

To me, this is an old fashioned comedy action movie. Think Schwarzenegger teamed up with children. The dialogue is witty and the film is fit for the entire family to watch together. I wouldn’t claim it is groundbreaking or an instant classic, but it was entertaining. I really liked Kristen Schawlow as Bobbi, the inexperienced sidekick. It is not a glamorous role but in a way, she balances out the lack of cuteness of the child star, who is depicted as mature in the art of spying. She steals a few scenes along the way. I was bemused to see a couple of reviews that said it is a good movie, but then rated it 5 out of 10, which makes it seem like the innocence and the playfulness of the genre is ramping the rating down. Or perhaps I am just an easy grader. In any case, I am less demanding with science fiction and kid comedies. I do not turn my nose up if they are merely good rather than great. This one is good, so I will be watching My Spy again.

In what usually proves to be rare in the cinema world, “My Spy” is a family film that exceeds expectations, if only slightly. The studio’s marketing campaign didn’t do the film any favors, including a trailer filled with groan-worthy dad jokes and a series of pratfalls, but this gruff-lunkhead-meets-sassy-kid buddy comedy is better than you’d think. Hard-nosed CIA operative J.J. (Dave Bautista) has recently been demoted to undercover stakeout duty, assigned to watch a precocious nine-year-old girl Sophie (Chloe Coleman) and her mother (Parisa Fitz-Henley). When the wise beyond her years little girl discovers the hidden surveillance cameras in her apartment, she uses her instincts to find and expose J.J. and his tech-savvy partner Bobbi (Kristen Schaal). Sophie is ready to blow the CIA’s cover, but makes a deal with the two in a mild form of blackmail — J.J. must spend time with her doing fun things like getting ice cream, going ice skating, and teaching her to be a spy. Much of the film’s success lies in the chemistry of the two leads, an odd pairing that somehow feels organic. Coleman isn’t an annoying child actor, and Bautista is one of the most likeable muscle heads around. The supporting cast, filled in by Schaal, Fitz-Henley, and Ken Jeong, are amusing, too. They deliver simple, straightforward jokes with aplomb, helping to sell even the most ridiculous aspects of the story to households huddled around the t.v. for family movie night. It’s nice to have pleasant little films like this to pass the time at home, and while “My Spy” isn’t very distinguished nor too original, it also isn’t wholly lazy, mindless junk. The PG-13 rating gives it a bit of edginess in terms of action, and despite stereotypical comedy tropes and a basic story, the movie supplies enough good fun to warrant a mild recommendation.