-By Daniel Eagan
For movie details, please click here.
It's been over 30 years since Jackie Chan supplanted Bruce Lee as
film's reigning martial-arts superstar. Now in his 50s, Chan tries
to broaden his audience with the kids-oriented
The Spy Next
Door, appealing directly to the
Kung Fu Panda crowd with mixed results. Entertaining in
spots but too obviously low-budget, the film faces so-so
returns.
The opening features clips from some of Chan's recent films before
speeding briskly through a nicely staged fight pitting the star,
playing CIA agent Bob Ho, against villain Poldark (Magnus
Scheving). Ho's athleticism and James Bond-like gadgets play
perfectly to Chan's strengths, and fans should enjoy seeing how the
star has adapted old routines for new purposes.
But the plot soon shifts to Ho's retirement to a suburb in the
Southwest, where he dons Clark Kent spectacles is his guise as a
"pen importer." Ho pines for next-door single mom Gillian (Amber
Valletta), but she worries that her kids won't accept him. Older
siblings Farren (Madeline Carroll) and Ian (Will Shadley) sneer at
Ho, while the younger Nora (Alina Foley) is the first to suspect
that he may be more than he seems.
Ho offers to babysit when Gillian is called away, only to learn
that Poldark has escaped from custody and is once again a threat to
the nation's security. What's worse, Ian inadvertently downloads a
deadly computer program, putting the kids and Ho in peril.
Struggling to protect the children and capture Poldark, Ho is
forced to reveal his background as a secret agent, and to call upon
the kids to help defeat his enemies.
Most of
The Spy Next Door is pretty tired stuff, from
Pacifier-style slapstick to comic relief from, of all
people, erstwhile country star Billy Ray Cyrus. Scheving and his
cohort Katherine Boecher display the proper spirit, but everyone
else, Chan included, seems stiff and listless. The star has worked
with kids before, in the Hong Kong production
Rob-B-Hood,
for example, and will soon be seen in a remake of
The Karate
Kid. For much of this film, he is clad in unattractive clothes
and forced into dumbed-down situations. It's hard to understand his
English at times, a crucial drawback in a PG comedy.
Chan can be an extremely appealing performer, and when his old
magic breaks through he can still thrill viewers. He does a
sensational bit with some chairs while helping demolish a Chinese
restaurant during one battle, something that will delight kids as
much as their parents.
Film Review: The Spy Next Door
Jackie Chan plays a retired spy who has to win over his girlfriend's hostile children. Undemanding action farce aimed squarely at the PG crowd.
Jan 13, 2010
-By Daniel Eagan
For movie details, please click here.
It's been over 30 years since Jackie Chan supplanted Bruce Lee as film's reigning martial-arts superstar. Now in his 50s, Chan tries to broaden his audience with the kids-oriented
The Spy Next Door, appealing directly to the
Kung Fu Panda crowd with mixed results. Entertaining in spots but too obviously low-budget, the film faces so-so returns.
The opening features clips from some of Chan's recent films before speeding briskly through a nicely staged fight pitting the star, playing CIA agent Bob Ho, against villain Poldark (Magnus Scheving). Ho's athleticism and James Bond-like gadgets play perfectly to Chan's strengths, and fans should enjoy seeing how the star has adapted old routines for new purposes.
But the plot soon shifts to Ho's retirement to a suburb in the Southwest, where he dons Clark Kent spectacles is his guise as a "pen importer." Ho pines for next-door single mom Gillian (Amber Valletta), but she worries that her kids won't accept him. Older siblings Farren (Madeline Carroll) and Ian (Will Shadley) sneer at Ho, while the younger Nora (Alina Foley) is the first to suspect that he may be more than he seems.
Ho offers to babysit when Gillian is called away, only to learn that Poldark has escaped from custody and is once again a threat to the nation's security. What's worse, Ian inadvertently downloads a deadly computer program, putting the kids and Ho in peril. Struggling to protect the children and capture Poldark, Ho is forced to reveal his background as a secret agent, and to call upon the kids to help defeat his enemies.
Most of
The Spy Next Door is pretty tired stuff, from
Pacifier-style slapstick to comic relief from, of all people, erstwhile country star Billy Ray Cyrus. Scheving and his cohort Katherine Boecher display the proper spirit, but everyone else, Chan included, seems stiff and listless. The star has worked with kids before, in the Hong Kong production
Rob-B-Hood, for example, and will soon be seen in a remake of
The Karate Kid. For much of this film, he is clad in unattractive clothes and forced into dumbed-down situations. It's hard to understand his English at times, a crucial drawback in a PG comedy.
Chan can be an extremely appealing performer, and when his old magic breaks through he can still thrill viewers. He does a sensational bit with some chairs while helping demolish a Chinese restaurant during one battle, something that will delight kids as much as their parents.
