The Spy Next Door

Perspective for conscientious parents:
This movie was pretty funny, the kids were cute, and the overarching themes of telling the truth and protecting your loved ones are great points of discussion with children. For those that love Jackie Chan movies, you might be a little disappointed that there is not as much action in this movie and some of the stunts are obviously on wires. But it is a movie for kids/families, so the level and excitement of the stunts seemed appropriate to me. A few things I would want to be aware of as a parent before watching the movie with my child: 1)the female villain often shows a lot of cleavage 2)The 13 year old daughter seems to get away with being very disrespectful to the mom (though it is kind of explained a little later in the movie) 3)there is a little profanity 4)a college age young man hits on the 13 year old daughter (though Jackie doesn't let him get away with it) 5)the young boy in the movie boasts about watching pornography on pay-per view 6)he is also obsessed with getting...

Harmless fun!
If you're looking for a decent, fun little movie you can watch with your family in a relatively painless fashion then you've come to the right place.

For some reason many action stars have supplemented their income by appearing in movies with kids. Maybe they are trying to widen their appeal from the hardcore action audience to the family friendly scene. Maybe they're getting too old to keep up with the pace of a full-on action movie. I don't know why they do it, but it's almost becoming mandatory for these guys to take on a kid or three as a side-kick and attempt to blend action and family fare.

And these attempts almost always stink.

This one is better. It's still "action-light" but I think it works because of the star, Jackie Chan. His character seems like a genuinely nice guy who wants to get along with the mandatory bratty kids. Chan's light presence matches up with the tone of the movie and makes it seem ....hmm...not as weird and...

Puts a Jackie Chan Smlle On
Good natured Spy vs. Kids action flick is a low-cal twinkie even by family film standards. The critics liked to play rough with it; and if you feel snooty about it, better stay away. Cute is its stock in trade and there are no disappointments if expectations remain logical: PG Jackie Chan suburban domestic comedy with mild action. Wacky Russian mobsters and their dominatrix-babe leader wear leathers and generally show bad taste as the foil in the spy plot, which follows Jackie home to his family to be.
Good for kids or adults like me who need a balance from the heavy stuff.
Blu-ray makes the grade for sight and sound.

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