My Spy

7/10

In My Spy, currently on Amazon Prime, a young girl (Chloe Coleman) blackmails a CIA operative on a stakeout (Guardians of the Galaxy's Dave Bautista) into helping her out with her life. I thought this was decent.

Let me start out by saying that this is predictable. It's the general story of the odd couple becoming friends and a tough law enforcement/government agent working with kids like Kindergarten Cop and The Pacifier. (This is very The Pacifier). The predictability can at moments make things drag as you can tell what's going to happen and are just waiting for the movie to go where it's going to go. The love interest in particular feels by-the-numbers and rushed and lacks chemistry.

Despite all that, this was still an enjoyable time for me. The movie's cookie cutter, but competently handled. It's the two leads that make this movie as they manage to elevate the material and work so well with each other. If you were one of those people that thought that Bautista's character in this film and in his last one Stuber seemed really similar (they are both comically impulsive men of the law), you'll pleased to know you're not just watching the same performance. I thought Bautista works a lot better here. He's a lot more nuanced and easy-to-like. The Last Man on Earth's Kristen Schall also does a decent job as Bautista's partner on the stakeout.

Admittedly, there are only a couple of downright funny parts, but the humor generally works and has its charm.

This is a PG-13 family film. Most of this is basic family film storyline mixed in with the occasional bit for adults.

Overall, I recommend this. It's not perfection, but it's a generally nice film for a group deciding on something to watch on a Friday night.