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Undercover Loss

"My Spy," the latest release to forgo its theatrical plans and skip straight to steaming, is a strange little movie. It seems to have been marketed to families, but it earns its PG-13 rating due to violence and PG-13-level swearing. Should you choose this film for your next family movie night, please know that the trailer and product have confused some. "My Spy" is bloodless, but there is plenty of content not for the youngest members of the family. Also, it's not very good.

This action-comedy frames itself around the been-there, done-that storyline of a big, gruff man finding a young child as their sidekick. This time around, Dave Bautista ("Guardians of the Galaxy 2") plays J.J., a CIA operative who is demoted after his first mission goes terribly awry. He and his tech wizard analyst Bobbi (Kristen Schaal, "Toy Story 4")) are reassigned to keep watch over single mom Kate (Parisa Fitz-Henley, Midnight, Texas) and her daughter Sophie (Chloe Coleman, Big Little Lies). Kate's late husband got himself involved with arms dealers, and there is suspicion they might come after Kate and Sophie.

Sophie is your typical precocious movie 9-year-old. She finds her way to J.J.'s headquarters (located in the same apartment building she lives in with her mom) and walks in on him and his entire set up. J.J. and Bobbi don't know the best way to cover up the situation, so Sophie takes the opportunity to blackmail J.J. She needs him to take her ice skating or she will tell her mom that he has been spying on them. J.J. agrees to this one request, but, of course, Sophie's list of demands continue to grow and J.J. has no option but to go along with them.

"My Spy" is entirely formulaic and predictable, but ultimately harmless. There isn't much time to enjoy anything happening on screen because the movie feels so mechanically structured and on autopilot. The pratfalls are uninspired, and the next joke or set up can be seen a few scenes away. The movie attempts a running gag of trying to juxtapose J.J.'s hardened exterior and stoic personality with his affection for the movie "Notting Hill" and his enjoyment of Britney Spears music in the car. It all just seems so tired.

Bautista isn't asked to do much, but he fits the role and delivers what is required from a character like J.J. He and Schaal, as well as Coleman, have some fun banter but they are unable to rise above the material. "My Spy" was shuffled around a bit before heading to stream amidst the pandemic, but it feels like a movie bound to get lost in the streaming ether.

 

"My Spy" debuts on Amazon Prime on June 26.