My Spy Reviews

In My Spy, veteran comedy director Peter Segal (50 First Dates) and writers Erich and Jon Hoeber (The Meg) try to bring the kid/adult buddy film into the 21st century. And while it is entertaining, there is very little here that we haven't seen before.   JJ (Dave Bautista) is a former special forces operative now working for the CIA. But when he botches a vital mission, his fieldwork is limited to surveillance - in this case on the family of a deceased terrorist - with a CIA tech agent, Bobbi (Kristen Schaal). He expects nothing to come of it and gets sloppy. His negligence coupled with Bobbi's inexperience in the field end up causing them to be outed by Sophie (Chloe Coleman), the 9-year-old daughter of their target, who blackmails him into teaching her to be a spy. Through the combination of these two humiliating missions, JJ begins to remember what it is like to care about something, even if it costs him everything.    The story is fun, but there isn't much new here. Several of the plot elements are almost identical to those in other films. The redeeming factor is that they are not worse than previous entries, unlike most films of this nature. There are some hilarious one-liners and moments, and just enough connection with the audience to keep it interesting without making it memorable or unique.    Segal manages to secure great performances from his actors, all of whom are playing stereotypes – right down to the homosexual neighbors across the hall. Because every role is cookie-cutter cliché, there is not much worth noting. There is one failure, though that is more the fault of the director than the actor. Ken Jeong is an entertainer who is best in a particular type of role, and his turn as CIA director David Kim would have been a perfect fit. For some reason, his abilities are restrained to a character that could have been played by any comedic actor. As a result, the film wastes his talents.   Like the rest of the film, the music, effects, and scenery are standard fare. Nothing new; nothing spectacular; absolutely nothing unexpected – as with the script, much of it is telegraphed before it happens.   My Spy is an entertaining film containing all the messages one would expect from a generational buddy film. It is fun and light, but the story doesn't hold any secrets.