The Spy Next Door review: In this comedy/action film, Jackie Chan ventures into the family film genre and makes perfect success in this high-flying family film!
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The Spy Next Door
The Spy Next Door is a 2010 action comedy film directed by Brian Levant and starring Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, and Madeline Carroll.
The film follows Bob Ho (Chan), a former CIA agent who is forced to babysit his girlfriend’s three children when she goes out of town. When the children are targeted by a group of Russian criminals, Bob must use his spy skills to protect them.
Plot
In the movie, Chan plays Bob Ho, a seemingly mild-mannered suburban house owner who is secretly a CIA operative on loan from the Chinese Government.
After his final mission, Ho retires from the CIA so he can settle down, spend more time with his new girlfriend, and live a more normal life. Ho says goodbye to his boss, Glaze, his co-worker Colton James and all the James Bond-style gadgets that he has used in the field over the years for a simpler kind of life.
Bob is happily in love with his neighbor and Mother of three children Gillian. Gillian’s children are rather difficult and don’t really like boring, old Bob, which begins to put a tear in their relationship. Bob desperately wants to tell Gillian the truth about his secret identity but is not able to muster up enough courage.
When Gillian must go away to tend to a sick relative, Bob decides that this is the perfect opportunity for him to babysit the kids in order for them to begin to accept him, however, that doesn’t go over so well at first. Ho quickly finds out that raising children is almost as tough as saving the world.
Meanwhile, the evil criminal mastermind Poldark, who Ho captured before he retired, has escaped again and is after a top-secret code that the CIA confiscated. Not sure what the code is for, Colton asks Bob to take a look at the file but before he can Gillian’s son mistakes it for a music file and puts it on his iPod.
Now with a mole in the CIA and Poldark on the hunt for the code from the kid’s iPod, Bob must protect the children and save the world from the villain once again but it could put his relationship with Gillian in jeopardy when she finds out his secret.
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The Spy Next Door Review
The Spy Next Door is a family film, but it is also very entertaining. Chan is in top form, and he brings a lot of energy and humor to the role of Bob. The children are also likable, and the film does a good job of balancing the action and comedy.
One of the things that makes The Spy Next Door work is its sense of humor. The film is full of physical comedy, and Chan is a master of this type of humor. He also has a great rapport with the children, and their interactions are often very funny.
The action sequences in The Spy Next Door are also well-done. As a skilled martial artist, Chan gets to show off his skills in a number of exciting scenes. The action is not overly violent, and it is always in the service of the comedy.
Overall, The Spy Next Door is a fun and entertaining family film. It is not the most original film ever made, but it is well-made and it is sure to please fans of Jackie Chan.
