My Spy (United States, 2020)
April 17, 2020
A look at director Peter Segal’s filmography doesn’t build
confidence for My Spy. Titles like Tommy Boy, Nutty Professor 2,
and Grudge Match set expectations at an appropriately low level. My
Spy is one of those action/comedies that fails both in terms of action and
comedy. For those looking for something positive, it can be said to
feature a generic but effective
father/daughter-type bonding story in which a precocious nine-year-old melts
the icy heart of a hulking CIA agent. We’ve seen this kind of thing before but
it’s done with sufficient schmaltz to work on its own terms. Damning with faint
praise? You betcha, but that’s all I have.
Apparently, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wasn’t available to
make this movie. Either that, or he read the script. Dave Baustista (best known
as Drax the Destroyer in the MCU), who it seems is sometimes called on as a
stand-in when his better-known ex-WWE compatriot isn’t available, brings
similar (but less polished) qualities to the role. Like Johnson, his oversized
form makes him a natural for parts like this. For this movie, he has wandered
into Schwarzenegger/Kindergarten Kids territory: a fish-out-of-water
story about the one danger a big, muscular guy isn’t prepared for: interacting
with a little girl. Sadly, Bautista’s comedic abilities (shown to good effect
in Guardians of the Galaxy) are wasted. His muscles are wasted. His
ability to deliver dead-pan one-liners is wasted. And all the guys attacking
his character get wasted. (The body count is shockingly high for what it being presented
as a family film.)
To the extent that Bautista is a “big” name, he’s the only
one in the film that fits the category. 11-year old Chloe Coleman, a TV veteran
even at such a young age, is an effective foil for the big, burly man and their
chemistry is such that it’s not hard to buy into the bond that develops between
them. The two other women – Parisa Fitz-Henley, who plays Kate, the girl’s
mother and a love interest for Bautista’s character, and Kristen Schaal as
Bobbi, Bautista’s CIA partner – are stock characters lifted off the shelf. Ken
Jeong’s David Kim is annoying and the resident bad guy, played by Greg Bryk, is
lackluster.
The screenplay takes a generic situation and does nothing
interesting with it. JJ (Bautista) and Bobbi have been assigned by their
superior, Kim, to surveil the apartment of Sophie (Coleman) and her mom. The
CIA suspects an international terrorist with connections to Kate might seek to
make contact. Clumsy work by JJ and Bobbi allows Sophie to “make” them and, to
avoid blowing the mission, JJ agrees to appease her with little “odd jobs” like
taking her skating and going to school as her “special friend” to talk to her
class. Predictably, a friendship develops between JJ and Sophie, a romance
starts between JJ and Kate, and all hell breaks loose when Kate’s ex-brother-in-law
shows up at her apartment looking for something.
For the most part, the screenplay writes itself and little attempt has been made to give it a unique or memorable identity. (It even has the audacity to rip off Raiders of the Lost Ark then, in a meta moment, comment on this.) Segal’s dedication to mediocrity is in evidence. This is a subpar motion picture offering little in the way of sustainable entertainment.
My Spy (United States, 2020)
Cast: Dave Bautista, Chloe Coleman, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Kristen Schaal, Greg Bryk, Ken Jeong
Screenplay: Erich Hoeber & Jon Hoeber
Cinematography: Larry Blanford
Music: Dominic Lewis
U.S. Distributor: STX Entertainment
U.S. Release Date: 2020-04-17
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Action/Comedy
Subtitles: none
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
- (There are no more better movies of Chloe Coleman)
- Marry Me (2022)
- (There are no more worst movies of Chloe Coleman)
- (There are no more better movies of Parisa Fitz-Henley)
- Fantasy Island (2020)
- (There are no more worst movies of Parisa Fitz-Henley)
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