Affable Bautista a big reason ‘My Spy’ succeeds on its terms
It’s a credit to star Dave Bautista that “My Spy” — debuting on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, June 26, after a coronaviruskiboshed theatrical release — ends up as enjoyable as it is.
That’s not to say it’s new or revolutionary. With its shopworn premise of “musclebound behemoth shows softer side after spending time with adorable moppet(s),” it’s merely the latest in a long, proud lineage dating back 30 years to the urtext of this particular subgenre, “Kindergarten Cop,” starring Hollywood protobehemoth Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In the decades since Arnold yelled “It’s not a toomah!” at a roomful of schoolchildren, we’ve seen Hulk Hogan, Dwayne Johnson and John Cena put through their paces. Now, it’s Bautista’s turn in the barrel.
The result in “My Spy,” directed by Peter Segal (“Tommy Boy”), is so beholden to its forebears that one wonders how the “Kindergarten Cop” screenwriters didn’t end up with a “story by” credit. This is one of those movies where you’re calling out future plot points in Act 3, based on the bread crumbs dropped in Act 1. And yet, it’s also a movie that knows exactly what it’s expected to be, and Segal does a journeyman’s job of moving the story forward briskly as we check off boxes on the way to a preordained conclusion.
Bautista plays CIA agent J.J. Yep, just J.J. (What, do you think we need things like last names anymore?) New to the agency after a tenure with the U.S. special forces, J.J. botches his first mission in Russia (after some impressive buttkicking and oneliners), leaving deadly nuclear codes in the open.
A series of plot machinations revolving around a dead arms dealer and plans for a nuclear bomb leads to J.J. and partner Bobbi (Kristen Schaal) being sent to Chicago to keep tabs on the dead man’s exwife Kate (Parisa FitzHenley, last seen in the execrable “Fantasy Island” a few months ago) and her 9yearold daughter, Sophie (Chloe Coleman), in hopes of the plans turning up.
That’s a lot of exposition to have to cycle through just to end up with scenes of J.J. attempting to iceskate with the daughter and having awkward dinner dates with the mom before a climax involving fisticuffs and explosions. But if you know the way these movies tend to work, then you can appreciate how assiduously they stick to the playbook.
And while child characters in this subgenre have a tendency to fall into the trap of acting and talking like miniature adults, “My Spy” mostly avoids this. Coleman is a talent to watch, playing Sophie as selfreliant without being precocious and lonely without being forlorn. When she figures out what J.J. is up to, she ends up blackmailing him into teaching her the ins and outs of spying, while he ends up learning he has a big ol’ beating heart underneath those massive pecs.
Credit to director Segal (working from a script by Jon and Erich Hoeber) for finding the proper middle ground to occupy, knowing when to be sincere and when to let the plot hang a lampshade on its own bythenumbers construction. Segal’s filmography includes the third “Naked Gun” (a.k.a. “The Worst Naked Gun”) and “Get Smart” (a.k.a. the movie that squandered Steve Carell in the slamdunk role of Maxwell Smart), so it’s not surprising that he doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel here.
But what he does know is how best to utilize Bautista, who seamlessly slides into a hoary formula and mixes things up enough to justify the hourandahalf investment.
The wrestlerturnedultimate fighterturnedactor/producer has steadily built a career out of playing strong, silent types, but his small role in “Blade Runner 2049” a few years ago demonstrated his dramatic range, while his ongoing “Guardians of the Galaxy” alter ego Drax has nicely shown off his comedic chops (as well as last year’s “Stuber,” in which he was better than the film).
Bautista leans into his established action persona here while adding a layer of awshucks affability that makes his byplay with Bobbi and his agency boss (Ken Jeong) amusing, his flirtation with Kate charming and his interactions with Sophie sweet and effortless.
At a brisk 101 minutes, “My Spy” doesn’t overstay its welcome. It knows exactly what it wants to be and how to get there, and it is made more engaging than it probably has any right to be thanks to the oversize charisma of its oversize star.