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Title: Spy Kids (2001)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Antonio Banderas | ... | Gregorio Cortez | |
| Carla Gugino | ... | Ingrid Cortez | |
| Alexa PenaVega | ... | Carmen Cortez (as Alexa Vega) | |
| Daryl Sabara | ... | Juni Cortez | |
| Teri Hatcher | ... | Ms. Gradenko | |
| Cheech Marin | ... | Felix Gumm | |
| Robert Patrick | ... | Mr. Lisp | |
| Danny Trejo | ... | Machete | |
| Guillermo Navarro | ... | Pastor | |
 |
Johnny Reno | ... | Agent Johnny |
| Norman Cabrera | ... | FoOglie #2 / Tall & Skinny | |
|
|
Trant Batey | ... | FoOglie #3 / Too Too |
|
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Andy W. Bossley | ... | Brat |
| Jeffrey J. Dashnaw | ... | Brat's Dad (as Jeff Dashnaw) | |
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Kara Slack | ... | Carmen's Friend |
Gregorio and Ingrid are the two greatest secret agents the world has ever known: masters of disguise, mavens of invention, able to stop wars before they even start. Working for separate countries, they are sent to eliminate their most dangerous enemy...each other. But in an exotic corner of the world when they finally come face to face, they fall in love instead and embark on the most dangerous mission they have ever faced: raising a family. Now nine years later, after their retirement, having exchanged the adventure of espionage for parenthood, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez are called back in to action. When their former colleagues, the world's most formidable spies, start disappearing one by one, the Cortez's are forced to take on techno-wizard Fegan Floop and his evil, egg-headed sidekick, Minion. But when the unthinkable happens and they too disappear, unfortunately there are only two people in the world who can rescue them...their kids. Written by Anthony Pereyra <hypersonic91@yahoo.com>
Finally, a live-action family movie that entertained me and my wife immensely, while my six-year old daughter had a blast too!
The most obvious (and fitting) comparison film is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Amazing fantasy world, some true menace, and a great message about being true to yourself and your family.
Spy Kids as a family movie for the post-Matrix age. It's witty, but never falls into that oh-so-hip faux-ironic self awareness that plagues so many movies today. It hands you a fantasy world, and encourages you to believe in it.
It has a great deal of action and slapstick, but (thankfully) was completely missing the mean-spirited undertones of the slapstick in Home Alone.
Like all great children's literature or entertainment, Spy Kids doesn't talk down to kids. It assumes they're intelligent and can pay attention. Having said that, there are sections of the film that are hyperkinetic, but they flow naturally.
It has something of a similar vibe to the Pixar films (Toy Story 1&2, Bugs Life), without as many in-jokes. There are some wonderful adult-only laughs, mostly stemming from the trials and tribulations of being a parent.
It's PG for a reason. It's not for the youngest moviegoer. A mature 5 or a six-year-old is about as young as I'd recommend. There are some scary moments, ala Willy Wonka, or The Wizard of Oz. But that's "good scary" in my book, as opposed to needlessly scaring folks to death.
The message of family is delightful. The Cortez family is a *real* family. They have disagreements, but they love each other. Thankfully, Rodriguez avoids the sit-com smartmouth syndrome, and gives us kids we can believe.
And I love the fact that Rodriguez never downplays the Latino heritage of the family. Hey, I'm so Anglo I'm practically translucent, but it was such a refreshing change to not have typical whitebread heroes out to save the world.
Not since Bob (Porky's) Clark pulled A Christmas Story out of his hat has a director come up with such a pleasant surprise in a genre you'd never imagine. Summary? A cup of Bond, a splash of Willy Wonka, and a dash of The Matrix. Sit back and watch the fun!