Hello guys and here I am yet again with a new 2020 movie review! For this review I will be discussing a movie that had a rather tumultuous road to release even before the pandemic threw the release schedule into shambles. You see My Spy, the latest starring vehicle for Dave Bautista, was originally supposed to release theatrically in late 2019 but then got pushed back to 2020 for some unknown reason and then it kept moving around until theater closures led the studio to sell it to Amazon who released it on their streaming platform which was probably the right call given the constant delays. The trailers looked fun enough and I like the cast so I decided to give it a watch and I actually liked it more than I thought I would. Now let’s suit up and go under cover to see what made this movie such an enjoyable watch.
Things kick off with an action packed prologue that introduces us to our protagonist, JJ, a tough, US Special Forces soldier who is a new addition to the CIA as an operative. His first big mission of his doesn’t go quite as well as hoped since he fails to stop an illegal plutonium trade between the Russian mafia and a Middle Eastern terrorist due to his shoot first ask questions later approach. Nonetheless he is assigned a new mission and partnered with the tech operator and unofficial number one fan, Bobbi. The task: to keep an eye on the in law family of one arms dealer named Victor Marquez and retrieve the construction plans for a miniaturized nuclear bomb that Victor obtained but lost thanks to his brother, David, who was killed by Victor shortly after. Things immediately go South once David’s daughter, Sophie, stumbles upon JJ and Bobbi’s post and she decides to blackmail JJ into doing things for her like making her popular at school and keep her company. Naturally JJ is not happy with this at all, but they soon come to develop a friendly bond and JJ even comes to form a connection with Sophie’s mother, Kate, as well. But can JJ still be able to complete the mission in time before Marquez tracks the bomb down?
When it comes to these types of “big tough guy has to protect a young kid(s) while also coming to form a friendship with them” stories I’m usually not the biggest fan of them (save for Kindergarten Cop, which I actually really like) as the formula can get a bit repetitive when done so many times and most of the time the comedy just doesn’t land for me as it’s appealing more toward the younger crowd. In the case of this movie it follows many of the expected beats you’d expect from this sort of the film, yet it manages to succeed for what it’s going for in large part thanks to a surprisingly witty script. The dialogue is very clever and funny making it a treat whenever the characters would just talk to each other as there’s just this wit to it that I really enjoyed and that makes it stand out from others of it’s ilk (there’s sometimes even a bit of a dark edge to it which I enjoyed). What also really worked was how character driven the movie is as it’s less focused on the action and more on the characters and their interactions and relationships with one another and for the most part I was invested in what was going on with the spy angle, the comedy scenarios, and even the romantic parts as well. This helps in making the emotional beats land as intended and there are some genuinely touching moments throughout that hit a lot harder than I expected. Sure there may be some jokes that may not have land and there are a couple of scenes that drag, but otherwise this is a nicely done, sharply written variation on this type of story that did manage to put a smile on my face many times.
I will say that this movie works better as a spy comedy than it does as a spy action movie, mainly because there really isn’t a whole lot of action. There are a couple of fist fights and car chases that get the job done without re inventing anything, but it’s mainly in the climax where all of that goes down. Still I wouldn’t say it’s a huge criticism as the focus is on the characters and comedy and it succeeds in those department. Along those same lines another thing that elevates it is the dynamite cast with almost everyone giving it their all and making the movie as enjoyable as it is. Of course Dave Baustista is really fun in these types of tough guy roles and he always has a great comedic timing, here being no different in a role that pokes fun on that tough guy masculinity. I also thought JJ’s arc was well done and his relationships with the character fleshed out and earned especially when it came to Sophie. I really enjoyed seeing her trying to prove her worth as a spy, her personality was fun, and Chloe Coleman gives a scene stealing performance while having great chemistry with Bautista. Kristen Schaal is also delightful as Bobbi and she rounds out the main trio nicely with each of them playing off one another wonderfully. Also JJ’s romance with Kate (Parisa Fitz-Henley) was fleshed out nicely and the two have plenty of sweet interactions together which manage to entertain. Some other notable players include Ken Jeong is fun as JJ and Bobbie’s boss, Kim, who is understandably annoyed by JJ’s shoot first ask questions later strategy and Devere Rogers and Noah Danby make an entertaining pair as Tim and Todd, a couple who are also neighbors with Sophie. Oh and I almost forgot about the main baddie… probably because he failed to leave much of an impact. Sure Greg Byrk does bring a surprising amount of intimidation to Marquez but there really wasn’t much to the villain side of things as he was just there as a plot device to add stakes and he was pretty generic with nothing that stood out about him unfortunately. Again though the rest of the cast is so good that the movie makes up for that.
I enjoyed My Spy a lot more than expected as I’m not the biggest fan of these types of movies. Sure it may follow a pretty standard plotline that hits familiar notes, the action is merely okay, and the villain is rather weak but it is elevated by a witty script, funny jokes, earned emotion, and a dynamite cast playing fun and likable characters. This is definitely one of the most pleasant surprises of last year and I’m glad it was able to finally find an audience after so many delays. All in all I had a very fun time with it, so much so that I would welcome a follow up as I would love to see these characters go on more adventures. A good example of execution being the key to a movie’s success.
Rating: B
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