My Spy (2020)

(Video on-Demand, December 2021) As far as mainstream family action comedies go, My Spy hits pretty much all of the high notes. Action-focused actor looking to broaden his appeal to younger audiences? Dave Bautista! Perfunctory plot meant to act as scaffolding for the fun and games? CIA agents sent to keep watch over the ex-wife of an international terrorist! Young audience stand-in? The rather wonderful Chloe Coleman as a protagonist putting a professional spy through her paces. Comic relief? Have Kristen Schaal in a prominent supporting role and Ken Jeong as a shouting boss. Eye candy for the boys? Parisa Fitz-Henley. My Spy’s script is clearly put together according to the usual formula, but it works well — the idea of a nine-year-old girl besting a secret agent is amusing (one sequence is even inspired by Mossad training), and the screenwriters aren’t above poking fun at the thought that viewers are savvy enough to understand the game being played. From the likable gay couple revealed to be something quite different (yet the same) to characters wondering who would build an airfield next to a cliff right before an action sequence making good use of that contrivance, the film knows what business it’s in, and clearly relishes it. It amounts to a perfectly watchable film, perhaps a bit confused about its age rating but still entertaining enough not to disappoint. You know what to expect, and My Spy delivers.