Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Several years after the first “My Spy” movie in 2020, JJ and Sophia are back. When JJ chaperones a trip to Italy, Sophia’s friend Collin is kidnapped and there is threat from terrorists that could affect the entire Vatican City. It’s up to JJ, Sophia, Bobbi and others to save the day. While this isn’t the best action-packed movie, it’s decent, although I wasn’t overly impressed.
JJ (Bautista) is the bodyguard for popstar King Kerr and when he’s attacked, Sophie (Coleman) is there to get them out of the plane. She saves them both – kind of, but not really.
Sophie wakes up to the sound of JJ telling her it’s time to get ready for school. JJ is her stepfather, and her mom is in Rwanda.
JJ is no longer working in the security field but is an analyst who is orchestrating a takedown at a Russian Black Site.
JJ has acquired data for Soviet nuclear weapons. Bishop Crane (Borg) wants that information. JJ’s boss, David Kim (Jeong) wants him back in the field, but JJ is reluctant.
Sophie is now in high school and is part of a choir group preparing to go to Italy.
JJ is training Sophie in kickboxing and wants her to be an agent. Sophie thinks JJ needs to let up on her a bit; she wants her space.
At the office, JJ’s partner, Bobbi (Schaal) points out he’s not as tough as he once was and compares him to an aging avocado; one of my favorite lines.
As the choir group gets ready for Italy, JJ is a chaperone, but is not well-versed in dealing with high school girls.
Vice principal Nancy (Faris) has assured JJ there better not be any funny business with the group he’s chaperoning.
When Kim’s son, Collin, is kidnapped, Kim and Bobbi arrive in Italy to save him. It turns out JJ and Crane know each other. Crane captures JJ and Kim. Crane is working for someone else though. This person poses a large threat to the entire city of Rome.
I enjoyed the original “My Spy” and while I’ve found that sequels can fall short of their originals, I had higher hopes for “My Spy: The Eternal City.” I enjoyed the return of many of the original cast along with several new additions who I thought played excellent characters. I wanted this to have more action and a faster-paced story; what I got was kind of a middle ground. It does start out with a very high intensity action sequence, but then there is a lot more setup for the third act. This may just be me being too impatient.
I liked that it still had a family sweetness to it; parents adjusting to kids growing up and kids trying to distance themselves from their parents – I found that relatable. It had a couple well-placed twists and turns. It was mildly funny, with some physical comedy that reminded the viewer you weren’t watching a serious action movie. Flula Borg is one of my favorite comedic actors and his portrayal of Crane had a real Hans Gruber feel at times. I thought Kristen Schaal’s dialogue was some of the best parts of the movie. It’s not overly violent but does have mild language.
Good, but not great; one thumb up.
Now streaming on Amazon Prime. <
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