
The first part of “My Spy” from the year 2020 was a surprisingly funny adventure with a cheeky and funny twist to it that stood out from the cliched family-oriented action comedy template. The chemistry between Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman was quite impressive, with Schaal in the role of a very unique co-star. It was released on OTT a couple of months after the onset of the pandemic, thus it was refreshing, especially in such tough circumstances.
Fast forward four years and “My Spy The Eternal City” is ready for release and it turns this funny narrative to an unusually darker tone. I am unable to know the target audience for this film. For adults, it is too goofy and for kids, it is way too mature. The second part from Pete Segal, who this time co-authored the screenplay with returning writers Erich and Jon Hoeber, is far more graphic and contains shocking sexual humor. While I am not a Puritan, there was a part where Schaal described a male body part that Hollywood had put on the Italian statue, and I was embarrassed. And no parent wishes to explain that.
For example, a boy is stalked through a sunflower field at gunpoint, then in the next scene, he’s reveling in the beautiful sights of an Italian sunset. Then, Coleman and Schaal’s characters get hit and kicked in the face, which is absurdly excessive violence in my estimation. The reasoning might have been that Coleman’s Sophie is 14 now, so the majority of viewers would be a few years removed from the story and would be ready for action. Whatever the rationale, it feels off-target. And, looking at things from the wider entertainment angle, it doesn’t really work.
This time, Bautista’s CIA operative JJ is trying to take a back seat, settle down in northern Virginia, and play the role of a father figure to high school freshman Sophie while her mom, an ER nurse, is away at work. (These characters seem extraordinarily busy these days: there is a lot of awkward exposition at the beginning “I am just happy the CIA gave you some time off.” I mean, come on.) JJ is finished with killing people. He makes scones now. And so when the opportunity to escort Sophie’s school choir to Italy comes, he assumes it would be a piece of cake considering his past experiences.
Of course, Sophie gets involved, which makes it difficult to be,” as in this case, too strong for the athlete that she likes (Billy Barratt). While her companion and BFF, blind to still harbors affection for her, Collin (Taeho K) also joins the excursion. This is a typical setup for a John Hughes movie where we later find out the right one was there all along, except nothing is better developed for these guys to keep you interested in the fact that she may or may not end up with any of the two in the end.
Schaal’s tech-wiz Bobbi goes to Italy because she has to prevent the ‘bad guy’ from blowing up the Vatican, and eventually, JJ’s boss also ends up getting involved (Ken Jeong). The other new members brought to the shows include Anna Faris who displays her typically disorienting talents, and Craig Robinson, who does not get much of an opportunity to do so until close to the end. Those expecting any comical gems from a cast of this nature will be left disappointed; too much is happening, as ‘The Eternal City’ progresses from abrupt violence to sappy emotional outbursts.
Out of the whole cast, there’s Bautista and Coleman left in the straw. While ‘The Eternal City’ doesn’t bother the viewer’s time by focusing on his events too often, Bautista and Coleman still manage to elicit a few laughs out of each other. His stature makes him gentle in the art of comedy while she seems mature for her age but not in an annoying way. And everyone who has ever tried to talk to a teen will recognize the hilarious darkness that sometimes appears out of nowhere but, like pointless sequels, this too will pass.
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