The Spy Next Door

Posted In: Tooth Fairy

Ernestina Domeier says...

I liked this movie. And it has some funny parts. It is about a spy who babysits for his very-close-girlfriend's kids and then the secret to her gets out that he's a spy. And she hates it. Then he gets away from the house and the kids come with him. (although he doesn't know it at first) then, they finally catch the bad guys. It s a good movie besides the oldest girl is disrespectful and he and the woman kiss, also the oldest girl flirts with this guy at a restaurant, but I liked it.

Posted on September 4, 2010

Joel Buchann says...

This movie is a great one for the whole family to watch. As with all Jackie Chan movies it has action, Comedy & in this one...A quirky romance. Definately a must see.

Posted on September 4, 2010

Marilynn Ruane says...

Gillian (Amber Valletta) has next a new potential love of her life; it is her next-door neighbor, the sedate pen salesman Bob Ho (Jackie Chan). However, their relationship is doomed as Gillian's children hold a low opinion of Bob. Gillian wants her kids to be safe and happy. What about Bob? He may not be as sedate as Gillian supposes but he intends to for her kids to like him. His opportunity comes when he gets to babysit. However, it looks like his old job may complicate things.



With few exceptions, I am not a Jackie Chan fan. This movie is definitely one of the exceptions.It has over the top acting and stunts. The story is formula and predictable but this people can act and the dialog is hokey to match.You will want to kibitz.

Posted on September 4, 2010

Myrl Swygert says...

This movie was pretty funny, the kids were cute, and the overarching themes of telling the truth and protecting your loved ones are great points of discussion with children.For those that love Jackie Chan movies, you might be a little disappointed that there is not as much action in this movie and some of the stunts are obviously on wires.But it is a movie for kids/families, so the level and excitement of the stunts seemed appropriate to me.A few things I would want to be aware of as a parent before watching the movie with my child: 1)the female villain often shows a lot of cleavage 2)The 13 year old daughter seems to get away with being very disrespectful to the mom (though it is kind of explained a little later in the movie) 3)there is a little profanity 4)a college age young man hits on the 13 year old daughter (though Jackie doesn't let him get away with it) 5)the young boy in the movie boasts about watching pornography on pay-per view 6)he is also obsessed with getting older girls to show interest in him and receives some tips from Jackie on how to accomplish it.

Posted on September 4, 2010

Traci Waltman says...

Good natured Spy vs. Kids action flick is a low-cal twinkie even by family film standards. The critics liked to play rough with it; and if you feel snooty about it, better stay away. Cute is its stock in trade and there are no disappointments if expectations remain logical: PG Jackie Chan suburban domestic comedy with mild action. Wacky Russian mobsters and their dominatrix-babe leader wear leathers and generally show bad taste as the foil in the spy plot, which follows Jackie home to his family to be.

Good for kids or adults like me who need a balance from the heavy stuff.

Blu-ray makes the grade for sight and sound.

Posted on September 5, 2010

Gavin Schrantz says...

Okay, so I'm not the proper demographic that the makers of "The Spy Next Door" were trying to impress - the children are grown and out of the house, and I really like foreign critically acclaimed movies. If you have children between the ages of 5 and 12, they may really like the movie.And if you have a soft spot for silly, harmless, action films with a few laughs thrown in, then by all means, this film is okay.However, I had the feeling the entire time I watched the film (to placate my wife) that I'd seen the exact same film before, only it was starring Vin Diesel and was called "The Pacifier".

Posted on September 6, 2010

Luanna Dobosh says...

Oh, my love for Jackie Chan hasn't altered in over 30 years, and I'll still watch anything with him in it. Last I saw of him was FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, in which he passed his superhero torch to the beautiful Michael Angarano.



Here, Chan is Bob Ho, a retired Chinese good-guy-spy "on loan to the CIA" for a last mission. What is cool is Chan gives himself a full speaking role and a sweet American love interest. They plan on getting married, Bob ("not my real name") is retired, all's well.



His girl gets a call that her father is in trouble (hip replacement from a softball game injury). She asks Bob to babysit the kids. All hell breaks loose with a hilarious Russian spy who can't find decent clothes, the kids are brats and eventually help Bob with his troubles. Happy ending at the altar.



If you think this is warmed-over THREE NINJAS, think again. Chan is not as his best--he's old, give him a rest! The film is heartwarming, funny, not as predictable as you might think. The kids are hilarious and it's clear Chan gave this one a lot of thought. It isn't silly, maudlin or over-the-top. Everything from the spying to the babysitting is spot-on realism.



Even Billy Ray Cyrus as the unfairly suspected CIA agent is cool, though he adamantly demonstrates a total lack of acting skill.



I won't want this in my Jackie Chan classics collection, but you have to see this film and see what may be the closest portrayal to Chan in real life. It's JACKIE CHAN!!!!--awesome.

Posted on September 6, 2010

Lela Heidgerken says...

If you're looking for a decent, fun little movie you can watch with your family in a relatively painless fashion then you've come to the right place.



For some reason many action stars have supplemented their income by appearing in movies with kids. Maybe they are trying to widen their appeal from the hardcore action audience to the family friendly scene. Maybe they're getting too old to keep up with the pace of a full-on action movie. Maybe they have to pay alimony to 4 or 5 ex-wives. I don't know why they do it, but it's almost becoming mandatory for these guys to take on a kid or three as a side-kick and attempt to blend action and family fare.



And these attempts almost always stink.



Does anyone honestly want to see Vin Diesel try to relate to kids? Or Chuck Norris, the Rock or God help us, Burt Reynolds relate to kids? No way. Don't even start with me about Hulk Hogan. During Santa with Muscles I was terrified that he might not see a few of the kids and accidently step on them. Suffice to say, these movies might help a star's sagging income, but they're usually a mediocre compromise between two often disparate genres at best.



This one is a little better. It's still "action-light" but I think it works because of the star, Jackie Chan. His character seems like a genuinely nice guy who wants to get along with the mandatory bratty kids.Vin, Hulk, Chuck, Burt and the rest, these guys play characters that you know would much rather be killing, crushing or sleeping with the enemy. Chan doesn't have that problem because of the types of characters he often plays. His lighter presence matches up with the tone of the movie and makes it seem ....hmm...not as weird and patently unbelievable and maybe even patronizing as other movies of this kind.



Basically Jackie plays Bob Ho, a Chinese secret agent on loan to the CIA. He retires so he can marry Gillian, a divorced single mom who is looking for someone reliable. Her kids don't really cotton to Bob though, so she decides to put her relationship with Bob on hold until they're ok with her marrying Bob.Bob is saddened but resolves to win the kids and his girl friend over.



Then, luckily, hijinx ensue. One of Gillian's kids downloads some top secret stuff off Bob's computer and before you can say Boris and Natasha some evil Russians are in hot pursuit. After a variety of PG style mishaps Bob captures the bad guys and wins the day, the girl friend and the family. And like I said, it works because Jackie Chan doesn't seem shoe-horned into the role.



The action is lighter than most Chan movies but it is inventive and fun. The kids act a little more like real kids than Hollywood Central Casting pods. The youngest kid in particular seems like real 4 year old, goofy and light hearted. When she delivered the line" I don't wanna be a princess, I wanna be a cyboooorg!" I cracked up. I actually laughed more than a few times, which surprised me. As long as you realize going in that this is just very light family entertainment I think you'll be pleased

Posted on September 6, 2010

Wyatt Celestino says...

Grading on two levels: THE SPY NEXT DOOR is harmless and sometimes entertaining as a family flick. The kids will probably eat this up. But if you're not a child and if you've seen Jackie Chan in his Hong Kong heyday, then you won't help but feel a full-on disappointment. This movie finds Jackie longer in the tooth, not quite as athletic or dazzling with the kung fu. And I think I see evidence of wire work. Jackie plays Bob Ho, a pen importer who resides in the 'burbs and dates Gillian (Amber Valetta), the cute divorced mom next door. Except that's just mostly a cover.



In real, Bob Ho is a Chinese secret agent on loan to the CIA. But because he's actually in love with his girlfriend, he decides to retire from espionage to concentrate more on his thing with Gillian. Thing is, Gillian's three hard-to-handle kids think he's an absolute spazz. When Bob ends up babysitting them, it's a golden opportunity for him to win them over. But then his spy gig comes back to haunt him, and Bob Ho must juggle bonding with the kids with facing off against his megalomaniac Russian nemesis. And because this is a comedy, the sneery Big Bad is also a bit of a clothes horse, except his minions who scrounge for his outfits don't exactly flip thru GQ magazines. The movie does throw a bone for the older viewers by way of a Russian spy woman dressed like a dominatrix, but that could merely be a nod towards cinematic conventions. Femme fatale spies are always well turned out in sleek kinky black leather.



If you've seen THE PACIFIER or MR. NANNY or KINDERGARTEN COP, you've more or less already seen this hackneyed plot and this comes off as another plateful of pandering. THE SPY NEXT DOOR offers nothing new, and the thing that cheeses me most is that a Rated PG Jackie Chan means that the martial arts violence gets toned down and we get even more chummy with the slapsticky elements (never Jackie's strongest point). And then Billy Ray Cyrus steps in with that weird hair thing he's got going on, and it's a struggle buying him as a CIA handler.



The kids who know Jackie from his cartoon show may like this one for all the goofy antics and the lightweight action sequences that grace the screen, plus Jackie very much retains that likable presence. But for those who marveled at his agility, daring stunts, and dazzling martial arts, what we get here is a shadow of the man and a misfire of a film rife with predictable plot points and tired sight gags. And sorry to say, Jackie Chan has zero chemistry with Amber Valetta. This being a Jackie Chan picture, I'd normally suggest sticking around for the closing credits outtakes, except that these outtakes aren't all that, that is if you're anticipating those traditional clips of Jackie's surviving his death-defying stunts. Jackie was 55 years old when he shot this flick. He may have had enough of getting his bones broken like kindling. At least now, maybe he can get insured when making a movie?



The DVD's bonus stuff: the "Jackie Chan: Stunt Master & Mentor" featurette (00:10:14 minutes); "Adventures In Acting With The Kids of THE SPY NEXT DOOR" (00:11:09) - this fun segment has Katherine Boecher (she plays the female villain "Creel" in the film) interviewing the kid actors; and, finally, the blooper reel, except this is the same stuff that rolled during the film's closing credits.

Posted on September 7, 2010

Jocelyn Swick says...

This is a good family film with no killing or blood, but a lot of 3 Stooges type violence. Jackie Chan plays the neighbor who is also a spy. He is dating a woman who thinks he is a pen salesman. Her three kids don't like him. Because of that she can't consider him for a long term relationship. When mom, played by Amber Valletta (a nice cross between Uma and Cameron Diaz) has to leave town, Jackie Chan volunteers to babysit so the kids will get to accept him. Like all similar movies (Uncle Buck, The Pacifier) the kids torment their sitter. Chan, like Candy, uses his skills to overcome them and win their love. The director did a good job on the child actors. The movie is a little hokey at times, but it is still a fun film. It has a happy heart warming ending.

Posted on September 8, 2010