Catch That Kid: a Dumbed Down Spy Kids Yeah, this is a kid's show; so how seriously should I take it? I suppose I should relax a little on my critique-ness but I still had to sit through the thing. I figure the studios have finally realized that kids will watch anything no matter how bad it is- Lilo & Stitch proved that. So rather than spend a lot of money on original scripts and good talent, they release things like this. After watching the preview for 5 seconds the first thing that comes to mind is, 'gee, Spy Kids rip-off maybe?'. As you leave the theatre after this film the first thing that comes to mind is, 'even Spy Kids 3-D wasn't that bad'. But here it is nonetheless; and will do pretty well at the box office like all kids movies do, no matter what quality they are. The movie has a mix of Spy Kids like action, with Power Rangers type characters. Here is the plot: Maddy, played by Kristen Stewart (Panic Room, Cold Creek Manor) is a young girl who has a joy of climbing things. Her father is an ex-climber who made it up Mt. Everest but sustained a near death accident as he fell over 100 feet on his decent. Maddy has two friends, Austin- the computer expert, and Gus- the racer/mechanic expert. One day Maddy's father collapses under some trauma sustained from his climbing injury. Faced with probable paralysis with the only cure being an alternative surgery performed only in Europe to the chime of $250,000, Maddy begins to plot. Her mother works as a security expert who is installing high-tech security system at a large bank. So Maddy and her two friends get the brilliant idea to rob the bank her mom works at and thus save her dad. What then follows is a very weak set up with farcical characters that seemed grossly out of place. Whereas the kids are in a semi serious mode, several of the supporting characters seem like something out of a Laurel & Hardy sketch. The over the top antics of a megalomaniac banker and the Mutt and Jeff stupidity of a pair of security guards take the film in a different and unpleasant direction. Too many of the films weak plot points seemed extremely random and served no apparent purpose. In order to infiltrate the office building the kids need to get through a formal office party taking place on the first floor. Maddy declares they need 'to blend in'. The next shot is a slow motion pan up, a la The Right Stuff, of the three twelve-year olds in formal wear. Like that's going to blend in with the party of 30-60 year old. Much of the movie is in that vein; the suspension of disbelief is suspended too long and finally just snaps and falls. If you have some kids you need to keep quiet for an hour and half that's fine. But if you expect any real entertainment value out of this, save your time and money. 4/10
Review of Catch That Kid
