Movie Review: ‘My Spy The Eternal City’

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Review by James Lindorf

Every tough guy looking to make a bigger splash in Hollywood eventually partners with a kid to show their softer side. Stallone was in “Over the Top,” Dwayne Johnson did it multiple times but never topped “The Game Plan,” and nobody did it better than Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Kindergarten Cop.” In 2020, Dave Bautista got his turn in the Family Action Comedy “My Spy.” The family-oriented action-comedy was first released internationally in January of that year but was shut down due to COVID before it could earn back its modest production budget. When it was released on Prime six months later, it was a hit for the streaming platform, with a sequel being planned as early as August that same year. The world is in danger when “My Spy: The Eternal City” is released on Prime on July 18th.

It has been five years since Sophie (Chloe Coleman) first stumbled across JJ’s (Dave Bautista) CIA operation and changed both of their lives. The agency’s former number 1 field agent is now an analyst, so he could spend more time with Sophie and her mom. Sophie has also changed during that time; gone is the precocious 9-year-old, and in her place is a smart, talented, and moody 14-year-old. The pair are struggling to adapt to their evolving relationship needs, and in an effort to gain some goodwill, JJ volunteers to help escort her choir’s tour of Italy. Unfortunately, the trip of a lifetime turns into a fight to save the world when it is interrupted by a nuclear threat that targets the Vatican. Bautista and Coleman are joined by returning costars Kristen Schaal, Ken Jeong, and newcomers Craig Robinson, Anna Faris, and Flula Borg.

The My Spy series is right up my alley because I enjoy spy movies, and I am a sucker for the macho guy kid team-up movies. I didn’t think it was terrific, but I thoroughly enjoyed the first film and was happy to see that the writing team of brothers Jon and Erich Hoeber (Red, Meg) and director Peter Segal (Get Smart) were returning. This time the film is much bigger both in plot with a nuclear threat to stop and geographically with shooting on location in Cape Town South Africa and parts of Italy. The Hoeber brothers did a good job crafting a script that has a little for everyone. It has cute parent/child moments, first crush moments, action, silly jokes, and jokes you hope your kids won’t get for a few more years. The film’s entertainment value, with its mix of action, comedy, and family dynamics, is high. The problem is that it all occurs within a framework we have seen a dozen times. That predictability, plus a stiff performance from Bautista, robs the film of its most impactful and relatable moments in Sophie and JJ’s expanding relationship. Bautista has been better, making me believe it was either a miscalculation of how to approach playing JJ this time or poor leadership from Segal.

“Spider-Man: Far From Home” and “Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London” came to mind during my screening because they all started locally and now have international action and teenage rom-com elements. All of which are pulled off to varying degrees of success. “My Spy: The Eternal City” falls somewhere between those two, as it is not as forgettable as the second Frankie Muniz picture or as well done as “Far From Home.” It is a generic, light-hearted romp through Italy with a couple of excellent jokes and decent action; overall, it earned a 3 out of 5.

Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Comedy
Original Language: English
Director: Peter Segal
Producer: Chris Bender, Peter Segal, Jake Weiner, Robert Simonds, Gigi Pritzker, Dave Bautista, Jonathan Meisner
Screenwriter: Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Peter Segal
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios
Production Co: Lupin Film, MWM Studios, STX Films
Release Date (Streaming): July 18th, 2024
Runtime: 1h 51m