By Matthew Essary (Twitter: @WheelsCritic)
There seems to be an unspoken rule in Hollywood that if you are a large, muscle-bound leading man you will eventually be paired with a child co-star for a “family” film. It started with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1990’s KINDERGARTEN COP and has occurred multiple times for various actors over the years. It was even seen recently just last year with the comedy PLAYING WITH FIRE, starring John Cena. It’s considered a good way for them to show range and hopefully broaden their appeal to audiences who normally wouldn’t watch their work.
The latest example of this is the new action-comedy starring Dave Bautista (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY), MY SPY. The film, directed by Peter Segal (TOMMY BOY) tells the story of a CIA operative, “J.J.” played by Bautista, who after a few too many mistakes in the field gets reassigned to a surveillance detail to keep an eye on a recently widowed single mother (Parisa Fitz-Henley, LUKE CAGE) who may know the whereabouts of stolen Russian nuclear weapon plans that her late husband possessed.
Of course, it isn’t long before Bautista and his rookie partner, “Bobbi” played by the sweetly awkward Kristen Schaal (BOB’S BURGERS), accidentally reveal their mission to the daughter of their target, “Sophie” (Chloe Coleman, BIG LITTLE LIES). Sophie seizes the opportunity to blackmail J.J. into helping her do all the things her mother is too busy for as well as giving her the occasional lesson on how to be a spy.
It’s an admittedly silly premise and it’s clear that the setup is there to get the gigantic Bautista into as many fun scenarios as possible. Some of the things he gets to do include pratfalls on ice skates, dance awkwardly, and play dodgeball with a bunch of terrified elementary school kids. There is nothing ground-breaking here but he is fully committed to the gags and his willingness to look silly or be the butt of the joke makes it all work better than expected.
Dave Bautista isn’t just adept at the comedic things MY SPY asks of him though. He brings real sensitivity and dramatic weight to the few non-comedic moments he has as well. He has gone on record saying that he’d much rather be seen as an “actor” than a “movie star”. The skill and lack of ego he displays here is a real testament to that.
Now the success or failure of MY SPY doesn’t really hinge on Bautista’s work. If his child co-star is annoying or unconvincing, everything else worthwhile about the film is negated. Chloe Coleman though is the film’s biggest strength. She is funny, charismatic, and has no trouble standing toe to toe with the larger than life Bautista. Watching her outsmart the adults in the film is consistently enjoyable. The confidence she displays as a performer never feels forced or unnatural. Through it all, she even still feels like an actual child and that really illustrates what a great job she does here in the role.
The rest of the cast is filled out with other solid actors and familiar faces. Though, outside of Kristen Shaal who has a lot of fun banter with the two leads, no one makes much of an impression. The villain, played by Greg Bryk (CODE 8) is one-note and feels more like something the film is burdened with so that there can be a few action scenes near the end of the film. Even Ken Jeong (THE HANGOVER) barely registers as the CIA head honcho. MY SPY is fully Bautista and Coleman’s show and everything else is mostly just window dressing to fill out their story.
The script by the Hoeber brothers (THE MEG) could be blamed for these shortcomings. However, for every formulaic moment or thinly-sketched side character, there is a moment where the audience expectations are subverted in subtle, clever ways. It shows that while they were beholden to the tropes of the film they were making, they tried to find ways to keep it feeling fresh and interesting. Without spoiling the details, I can say that it was nice to not be able to predict every twist and turn the film had in store.
Peter Segal’s direction of the script is good but mostly invisible. He doesn’t draw attention away from the actors, or the scene in general, with needlessly flashy camera techniques. What bits of action the film has are shot well and are a step up in coherency from Bautista’s last action-comedy, STUBER. There’s no way to really know if Segal is responsible for the action in MY SPY or if it was second unit work but it’s a good looking film and nothing feels out of place.
Overall, MY SPY is a well-made, enjoyable family film, with great performances from its two stars, that has enough tweaks to its overly-familiar concepts to keep the whole endeavor engaging during its brief runtime. (3/5)
To find out where this film is available to stream, click here: Just Watch