It’s kind of hard to write a review of The Spy Next Door without saying up front that what you see is what you get. If you’ve seen the previews, then it should be obvious to you that this movies will be filled with violent sequences (it’s Jackie Chan, after all) and lots of improbable stunts (it’s Jackie Chan, after all). In fact, even without seeing the previews, the fact that it’s called The SPY Next Door and stars Jackie Chan should give it away.

So it would be unfair to give the movie bad grades for being violent, and full of weapons - we reserve that for movies where you wouldn’t expect those things. So yes, this movie is full of (mostly slapstick) violence. There are weapons galore.

That said, nobody actually gets shot. But lots of people get the daylights beat out of them by Chan. And there is a scene where he quite graphically smashes someone’s face into a table, and there is blood.

Yes, there are some very funny scenes, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that it’s more funny than violent (it isn’t), or that because it is rated ‘just’ PG, that the violence and weapons are downplayed (they aren’t).

If you are already at the stage with your child where this sort of movie is ok, then The Spy Next Door is an ok way to spend an afternoon when it’s too cold or rainy to play outside, but otherwise, I’d give it a pass.

The Kid Says

I don’t think that kids younger than me* should see this movie. I don’t think it would be good for kids younger than that. There’s too much violence.

*The Kid is 11 at the time of this writing.

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