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Parents' Guide to

Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Positive messages can't save worst film in action series.

Movie PG 2011 89 minutes
Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 9+

Based on 17 parent reviews

age 7+

Terrible reference to foster care

Overall the movie had positive family messages but the scene when the dad's boss sees mom with her children at work and says to call children services and have those children placed in foster care is beyond inappropriate and insensitive to children who are in foster. Why Hollywood thinks this is funny is beyond me.
1 person found this helpful.
age 11+

A bit intense but is fine for older kids!

PG: intense action and mild rude humor

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (17 ):
Kids say (44 ):

This film continues the Spy Kids series' downward spiral and ruins the memory of what was once an exciting family film franchise. Writer-director-producer Robert Rodriguez has gathered an all-star cast of his friends (in addition to the Wilson parents, there's Jeremy Piven as OSS director, Ricky Gervais as the voice of a robotic dog Argonaut, a return cameo by Danny Trejo as Uncle Machete, and Spy Kids veterans Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara as Carmen and Juni Cortez), but their talent is wasted in this ill-thought installment.

Gone is all the passionate banter between Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino; they're replaced here by a bland Alba and McHale, whose dialogue lacks anything resembling chemistry. The kids are cute at first but quickly grow obnoxious, until near the end, when they're sickeningly sweet again. There are so many platitudes that even the villains can't help pushing the movie's commendable but annoyingly overt message that we should stop wasting time and start spending it with the people we love. Even the original spy kids can't add any oomph to this forgettable film; instead, we're left with a gimmicky trifle of a comedy filled with fart jokes and an accompanying "Aroma-Scope" card that's just a reminder of how much this movie stinks.

Movie Details

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