The Spy Next Door

JACKIE CHAN BRINGS US MORE OF HIS MAD SKILLZ! My Rating: ***1/2 - Good

Jackie Chan has given us yet another entertaining film. Although his latest addition seems kind of like a ripoff of "The Pacifier" (2005) with Vin Diesel. But, either way I think they both brought something special for the whole family. This one brings JACKIE CHAN for Pete's sake! I mean, what more can you ask for in a film like this?! The plot is about a top-notch secret agent (Jackie Chan of course) named Bob Ho who has been an agent for a while and has finally found a life he can settle down in and he wants to retire. He's met a girl named Jilian who has three kids. She really loves him but the KIDS however, well, hate him. One day her dad is hospitalized and he offers to watch her kids while she's gone. Along the way, he must fight off Russian (simply put) "evildoers" who have invented a chemical that literally EATS oil. Basically they want to use it to sabotage the world's oil reserves and get rich. On top of that...he has to bond with the kids. So, while watching recent films, I learned a very important lesson(which, I should always keep doing as a movie critic somewhat in training). You have to keep your opinions about the films

but you can't really say you didn't like it because it wasn't something from a certain genre. You have to consider what the movie was SUPPOSED to be in the first place. I mean, you can't walk into a Jackie Chan movie expecting it to scare your pants off. He does mostly "LIGHT" movies. You can't walk into a horror film saying it wasn't good because it wasn't funny! Just like I can't say this film sucked because it wasn't serious or morally filled. Because it was meant to be a simple, kiddy, entertaining family movie. Not "The Dark Knight: No, I mean the Jackie Chan Version". And, for it's target genre and audience, it works well. I brings in some classic Jackie Chan action scenes that we all know and love. It combines slapstick comedy and physical accidents that still seem like kung-fu, just maybe a more proper name would be "funny-fu". The villains are all Russian people who aren't that smart which, is kind of an insult to their intelligence. At least "Iron Man 2" had a SMART Russian villain. I hope Russia is not offended by the way they behave in the film. The leaders consist of a trigger-happy moron, a lady who doesn't really dress in fighting clothes(as if she expects a day at the office), and a guy who is obsessed with money and doesn't really give a good performance. But, then again, you want to keep it simple for the targeted younger audience. The acting is very "uneven" so to speak. Some of the acting is really fake (the bullies at the kids's school), some of it is average(Jilian and government agents at the headquarters), some of it is good (the kids), and Jackie Chan gives by far the best performance in the film. But that's not surprising. You know, Jackie Chan is very good at what he does. He does very well in the fight scenes for every movie he does and he does his OWN stunts! He's 56 years old! If i was an actor at that age (no offense to Jackie Chan because he's not old I'm just saying that that's a little past the best age for stunts) If I was an actor at that age doing those stunts, I would have been like "I'm getting to old for this crap!" He had to go through many injuries for this stuff. But, he still does great and it's probably the best crap known to man. He gets a lot of buzz for this and he's definitely earned it. He's not a full-of-himself actor. He used to make 80 cents a DAY. He has worked his way up over a very long period of time. He adds that talent to this film. Something the whole family could watch. Although it could have been a little more realistic and wee-bit more serious. Sometimes things go on and off in the link of an eye. There's no explaining or sense of it changing gradually. Bob and Jilian are kind of confusing at points. But in the end, it closes with just your classic entertaining Jackie Chan battle. His fight sequences are very well choreographed but are funny and you still get the feeling that leaves you going "Aaahhhh, that never gets old." And it keeps it cool without the blood and guts of "Ninja Assassin". It's a good family movie, but make sure your kids don't watch the out takes at the end where it turns from kid friendly to the constant dropping of the f-bomb. Overall, it has diverse acting but Jackie Chan is good as always, good action sequences, and a light and entertaining family movie with a heart. If you have a family with little kids looking for a good family movie, this one is right next door.

Starring: Jackie Chan Director: Brian Levant

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