What’s It About
JJ, a veteran CIA agent, reunites with his protégé Sophie, in order to prevent a catastrophic nuclear scheme aimed at the Vatican, which disrupts a high school choir trip to Italy.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
The first film was barely tolerable, so it’s baffling why they decided a sequel was necessary. Most people watched “My Spy” because of the pandemic. It wasn’t exceptional, but it was available and was a distraction while we were all stuck at home. “My Spy: The Eternal City” is more similar, but somehow, it’s even worse. This time, JJ (Bautista) has left his action-packed days behind. He’s now a family man, a desk jockey by choice. His CIA boss, David (Ken Jeong), desperately wants JJ back in the field, kicking butt like the elite agent he is. However, JJ prefers overseeing missions remotely from a dimly lit, high-tech COMMS center, barking orders into a headset. At the same time, his team scrambles at their terminals. His life is safer this way, and it is easier to be a stepdad to Sophie (Coleman), whom he married after the last movie’s events. JJ is overly enthusiastic in his stepfather’s role, pushing Sophie to train at the dojo daily, grooming her to be the next secret agent. This isn’t responsible parenting, but nothing about this movie pretends to reflect reality. Sophie, now 14, is tired of practicing absurd flip kicks and not landing them. She used to enjoy this stuff, sort of. Still, now she wants to do typical teenage things like crushing on boys and rebelling against her well-meaning but slightly overbearing stepdad. Sophie crushes on Ryan (Billy Barratt) while her best friend, Collin (Taeho K), secretly pines for her. They all belong to the school choir, which is selected to tour Italy, where there’s a hidden nuclear bomb waiting to be found by evil villains aiming to blow up the Vatican. JJ sees this trip as an opportunity to simultaneously chaperone the choir and beat the bad guys. He quips that surviving five tours of duty means one choir tour should be easy. But the movie stresses that he’s never had to deal with shooting, knifing, and kneeing evil goons while managing a bunch of unruly teens. The plot strains to bring David and CIA hacker Bobbi (Kristen Schaal) to Italy, with Agent Connelly (Craig Robinson) overseeing things back at the office. The school vice principal, played by Anna Faris, probably has some role in this, as the movie wouldn’t waste a notable actor on a minor part. There’s also a muscle-bound villain (Flula Borg) included to clash with the muscle-bound hero eventually. Cheaply produced and poorly directed by Peter Segal, the film is pieced together with mugging performances and a need to tone down the first film’s over-the-top (and amusing) violence for a more grounded follow-up. There’s little to enjoy, and even the dynamic between Bautista and Coleman is less compelling than in the original. Some films charm their way into your good graces; My Spy: The Eternal City just exhausts you. It’s relentless in all the wrong ways, with close shaves, car chases, explosions, a random boxing match, teenagers drinking, playing spin the bottle, barfing, and then performing hungover in front of the Pope. The film’s central narrative is about JJ and Sophie’s evolving relationship as JJ comes to terms with Sophie’s growing independence. The story is sweet, and the two actors have lovely chemistry. It’s almost strong enough to bring a tear to your eye when they inevitably reconcile at the end. This satisfying arc and emotional throughline make it somewhat worth watching if you enjoyed the first film.
OUR RATING – AN UNDERWHELMING 3