'My Spy' A Review

My Spy is an action/comedy about a formal Special Forces soldier JJ(David Bautista) who's a liability at the CIA so he's put on surveillance duty with tech Bobbi(Kristen Schall) to watch over the widow of an arms dealer Kate(Parisa Fitz-Henley) and her daughter Sophie(Chloe Coleman). Sophie quickly discovers JJ and Bobbi and strikes a deal with JJ, to keep the observation quiet in exchange for spy training, the two form a bond and JJ and Kate begin a tentative romance.

Bautista is a rare and graceful cross over(beginning his career in the WWE) like the only other real success story The Rock, he's been picking up action/comedies(Stuber) as well as the occasional stretch(Blade Runner 2049) in addition to his Marvel appearances. He gets better with every role, more confident, more dynamic, more emotional and more funny. He's great here and it would be great to see him in some more demanding roles, he's clearly ready. His co-star Coleman is a great foil, precocious without being fake, funny without being unbelievably adult. It's a great match and so what if the script is relatively formulaic, the two have enough heart and energy to make the thing work and the support cast rounds it out nicely.

Some great action sequences balance what is mostly a light fish-out-of-water comedy although the majority of the action takes place in "Chicago" when it is clearly shot in Canada. The production is somewhat by-the-numbers but there is enough action and enough inversion of action troupes to entertain. Not particularly unique or surprising but solid family friendly fun.

Currently streaming on Amazon.

Rent It.