Parents' Guide to

My Spy

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Funny but formulaic action comedy has violence, language.

Movie PG-13 2020 99 minutes
My Spy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all
age 14+

Based on 34 parent reviews

DadofTHR33
DadofTHR33 Adult
September 3, 2021
age 16+

Many adult themes/language throughout

Very dissapointed with this movie. It seemed like it had so much potential but unfortunately its difficult a family film without an agenda. So many innuendos and because they were same sex they're "okay." It has no place in a kids movie even if it's men sexualizing men?

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
5 people found this helpful.
Bizinozi
Bizinozi Adult
June 20, 2021
age 17+

Terrible messages

In an age where every 9 year old seems to have a smart phone, the 9 year female lead starts a secret relationship with a fully grown male behind her mother's back. She's shown sneaking out to meet him, video calling him secretly in her bedroom and generally wowing us with her superior intellect. We were extremely disturbed by the messages here that clearly showed that a young child is more savvy than her mother and knows how to distinguish a good guy from a predator. It's like a manual on how to actually get away with it. And of course in the movie it ends up with a happy ending, but real life is unfortunately far from this. Parents beware!

This title has:

Too much swearing
5 people found this helpful.
See all 34 parent reviews

What's the Story?

MY SPY opens during a covert deal in which CIA agent JJ (Dave Bautista) is outed as a spy because his "Russian accent sounds like Mickey Rourke's in Iron Man 2." Once the dust settles and JJ has killed nearly everyone in the room, he returns to CIA headquarters. There, his supervisor, Agent Kim (Ken Jeong), confronts JJ about the fact that he let one of the criminal masterminds escape with nuclear weapon codes. Partially as punishment, JJ is teamed with ops partner Bobbi (Kristen Schaal) on a surveillance mission in Chicago to watch over the young widow and daughter of a dead arms dealer. While in Chicago, JJ and Bobbi are discovered by their 9-year-old subject, Sophie (Chloe Coleman), who blackmails JJ into giving her spy lessons (and generally doing what she says). If he doesn't, she'll tell her mom, Kate (Parisa Fitz-Henley), the truth about what's going on.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (34):
Kids say (49):

Scene-stealing child star Coleman outperforms Bautista in this familiar but fun tough-guy-meets-adorable-kid adventure comedy that's a direct descendant of Kindergarten Cop. Bautista, who's fabulous as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy/Avengers movies, brings a similar, somewhat awkward persona to My Spy, but he's not quite as suave or charismatic as Dwayne Johnson or Arnold Schwarzenegger, which impacts his ability to completely pull off the role. He's particularly lacking in the light romantic chemistry that's supposed to blossom between JJ and Kate (something The Rock is great at but that Schwarzenegger has similarly struggled with throughout his career).

Since the adults' romance is a secondary concern here, what really stands out is how great Coleman is with Bautista, and Schaal's performance as JJ's eager partner, Bobbi. The two actresses metaphorically carry Bautista on their shoulders. His butt-kicking, eye-squinting, feel-no-pain demeanor, after all, can only garner so many laughs. But thanks to Schaal's comic timing and Coleman's surprisingly magnetic presence, the movie is better than you'd expect. An off-putting misstep is the stereotypical depiction of Kate and Sophie's gay neighbors (one of whom is flamboyant and one of whom never speaks) and a throwaway line about whether Bobbi is a lesbian. The movie also has a bit more violence and language than is typical for tween-targeted family films. Still, while it's definitely formulaic, there's enough in My Spy to enjoy that it should make for a fun movie-of-the-week pick.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the popularity of tough-guy-meets-kid comedies like My Spy. What's compelling about them? What are some other examples, and how do they compare to this one?

  • Who do you consider a role model in the movie? What character strengths do they demonstrate? Why are teamwork and communication important traits?

  • Discuss the violence in the story. Is it realistic, stylized, cartoonish, or a combination? What kind of violence has the most impact?

  • Did you notice any stereotypes in the movie? Why are stereotypes harmful? Why is diverse, accurate representation in the media so important?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate