The Spy Next Door
Encyclopedia
The Spy Next Door is a 2010
American
spy
comedy
family film
starring Jackie Chan
, Amber Valletta
, Billy Ray Cyrus
and George Lopez
. Filming started in late October in New Mexico
and was finished in late December 2008. The film was released on January 15, 2010 in the United States. The film was released on DVD, and Blu-ray on May 18, 2010. The film tributes Chan's films by showing clips, references and even referencing Chan's real life childhood.
), and Nora (Alina Foley). Farren and Ian sneak into Bob's house and Ian accidentally downloads a top-secret formula from his computer. Bob's archenemy, a Russian terrorist named Anton Poldark (Magnús Scheving), who developed a substance that dissolves petroleum, moves in to attack, forcing Bob to juggle the roles of spy and prospective stepfather in the most challenging mission of his career. Bob asks Colton James (Billy Ray Cyrus), his spy partner, to help him, but he is not sure if he can trust Colton. Matters are further complicated when a Russian spy, Larry (Lucas Till) attacks Bob, forcing him to tell the kids and Gillian that he is a spy. In addition, Bob learns that his boss, Glaze (George Lopez), is actually working for Poldark and the Russians, and that Poldark plans to destroy the oil supply everywhere but Russia. Bob manages to escape and flees to Gillian's home. Soon, Poldark arrives and engages Bob in a fight with his henchmen. At the end, the CIA come to arrest Poldark, Glaze, Larry, Creel and the rest of Poldark's team. Bob then marries Gillian. He then reveals that his name really isn't Bob, but Gillian doesn't seem to care.
It holds a "Rotten" 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
based on 78 reviews with an average score of 3.6/10.
On Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized rating of 0–100 top reviews from mainstream critics, it holds an average score of 27% based on 21 reviews. Most film critics targeted the film for "lacking a script" such as Michael Phillips
of The Chicago Tribune for being "True Lies
without the striptease or the Arab-maiming" and Kyle Smith
of The New York Post who also claimed the film is "ripping off True Lies."
Lael Loewenstein of Variety
gave the film a negative review saying the film's "cartoon
ish jokes and misfired gags are likely to elicit more eye rolls than laughs." Daniel Eagan of The Hollywood Reporter
also disliked the film saying most of the film is "pretty tired stuff from 'Pacifier
'-style slapstick to comic relief delivered by, of all people" and that Chan "seems stiff" and "clad in unattractive clothes and forced into dumbed-down situations."
David Stratton
of At the Movies dismissed the film calling it "a sad viewing experience". He added "The woeful screenplay, the mundane direction, by Brian Levant, and the indifferent acting all combine to sink a stupid plot which should never have got off the ground." Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer
gave the film 2½ stars. Rickey, giving the film the benefit of the doubt, wrote "The plot may be forgettable, but the execution is frantic and funny. The Spy Next Door is a movie that will bring smiles to kids – and their grandparents."
2010 in film
The year 2010 saw many new films released worldwide. 2010 saw a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking and film releases after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Jackass 3D, all animated films and...
American
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
spy
Spy film
The spy film genre deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way or as a basis for fantasy . Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, John Le Carré, Ian Fleming and Len Deighton...
comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
family film
Family film
A family film is a film genre that is designed to appeal to a variety of age groups and, thus, families.In December 2005, Steven Spielberg's 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came first in a poll of the 100 Greatest Family Films. The genre today generates billions of dollars per annum.Family...
starring Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
, Amber Valletta
Amber Valletta
Amber Evangeline Valletta is an American actress and model. She began her career as a model for fashion agencies, and appeared on cover pages of internationally recognized magazines. She made her film debut in Drop Back Ten . She then starred in the hit film Hitch...
, Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
and George Lopez
George Lopez
George Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture...
. Filming started in late October in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and was finished in late December 2008. The film was released on January 15, 2010 in the United States. The film was released on DVD, and Blu-ray on May 18, 2010. The film tributes Chan's films by showing clips, references and even referencing Chan's real life childhood.
Plot
Bob Ho (Jackie Chan) is a Chinese super-spy on loan to the CIA who decides to retire so he can be with neighbor next-door and girlfriend, Gillian (Amber Valletta). Gillian's father is in the hospital and Bob says he can babysit her kids Farren (Madeline Carroll), Ian (Will ShadleyWill Shadley
Will Shadley is an American child actor, perhaps best known for his role in the 2010 film The Spy Next Door.Shadley was born in Winter Park, Florida to Shari and Rick Shadley, a landscape architect. He has an older sister. Shadley's first acting role was in a play of A Christmas Carol in which he...
), and Nora (Alina Foley). Farren and Ian sneak into Bob's house and Ian accidentally downloads a top-secret formula from his computer. Bob's archenemy, a Russian terrorist named Anton Poldark (Magnús Scheving), who developed a substance that dissolves petroleum, moves in to attack, forcing Bob to juggle the roles of spy and prospective stepfather in the most challenging mission of his career. Bob asks Colton James (Billy Ray Cyrus), his spy partner, to help him, but he is not sure if he can trust Colton. Matters are further complicated when a Russian spy, Larry (Lucas Till) attacks Bob, forcing him to tell the kids and Gillian that he is a spy. In addition, Bob learns that his boss, Glaze (George Lopez), is actually working for Poldark and the Russians, and that Poldark plans to destroy the oil supply everywhere but Russia. Bob manages to escape and flees to Gillian's home. Soon, Poldark arrives and engages Bob in a fight with his henchmen. At the end, the CIA come to arrest Poldark, Glaze, Larry, Creel and the rest of Poldark's team. Bob then marries Gillian. He then reveals that his name really isn't Bob, but Gillian doesn't seem to care.
Cast
- Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
as Bob Ho- the main character of the film. He works as a spy. He is dating his neighbor, who he marries in the end. His real name is unknown. - Amber VallettaAmber VallettaAmber Evangeline Valletta is an American actress and model. She began her career as a model for fashion agencies, and appeared on cover pages of internationally recognized magazines. She made her film debut in Drop Back Ten . She then starred in the hit film Hitch...
as Gillian- Bob's next door neighbor and girlfriend then wife. She does not know that Bob is a spy until later in the movie. She has three children, Farren (stepdaughter), Ian and Nora. - Madeline CarrollMadeline CarrollMadeline Carroll is an American actress who was first noticed for her role as Molly Johnson in 2008's Swing Vote. Carroll had many supporting roles in various films Comedy and Drama...
as Farren- the eldest among the children. She is the stepdaughter of Gillian and half-sister of Ian and Nora. She hates Bob at first but soon starts to befriend him. She feels like the freak of the family. She argues with Gillian about the clothes she wears. She is waiting for her dad to come back. She is thirteen years old. - Will ShadleyWill ShadleyWill Shadley is an American child actor, perhaps best known for his role in the 2010 film The Spy Next Door.Shadley was born in Winter Park, Florida to Shari and Rick Shadley, a landscape architect. He has an older sister. Shadley's first acting role was in a play of A Christmas Carol in which he...
as Ian- the middle child. He is a nerd and he lies. He fights with Farren but near the end of the film, they agree along with Nora for Bob to be their dad. - Alina FoleyAlina FoleyAlina Chiara Foley is an American child actress. She is known for her role Claire Brady on Days of Our Lives .She is the daughter of actor Dave Foley and Crissy Guerrero...
as Nora- the youngest. She likes Bob. She is into princess and pink stuff. She is four years old. - Magnús SchevingMagnús SchevingMagnús Örn Eyjólfsson Scheving was born 10 November 1964 to Þórveig Hjartardóttir and Eyjólfur Magnússon Scheving. He is an Icelandic writer, producer, entrepreneur, and a famous athlete. He is the creator and co-star of the children's television show LazyTown.-Career:In 1992 he became the...
as Anton Poldark - Billy Ray CyrusBilly Ray CyrusWilliam "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
as Colton James - George LopezGeorge LopezGeorge Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture...
as Glaze - Lucas TillLucas TillLucas Daniel Till is an American actor. He began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of films and television parts, including his roles on House, Hannah Montana: The Movie and X-Men: First Class...
as Larry - Katherine BoecherKatherine BoecherKatherine Boecher, is an American Actress, who has performed in CSI: New York, Mad Men, Supernatural and The Spy Next Door.-Early life:...
as Tatiana Creel - Maverick McWilliams as Chad
- Quinn Mason as Carl
- Margaret MurphyMargaret Murphy- Biography :Murphy was born and brought up in Liverpool where she gained a degree in Environmental Biology at the University of Liverpool and later an MA with Distinction in Writing at Liverpool JMU, a course on which she now lectures...
as Mom - Esodie Geiger as Principal
- Jeff ChaseJeff ChaseJeff Chase is an American film and television actor.Chase was born Jeffrey L. Sniffen in Paterson, New Jersey. He married Kimberly Chase on January 5, 1991, and now lives in Clermont, Florida. Chase has one son, Cory Chase, born in 1998...
as Russian Thug - Tim ConnollyTim ConnollyTim Connolly is an American professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
as Russian Thug - Valerie Adams as Neighborhood Mother
Box office
In its first weekend, in the US, The Spy Next Door made $9,726,056 in 2,924 theaters, opening at #6. It grossed $12,877,043 over the four-day period, ranking #5 on that term. It has grossed $42,402,765 to date already making it a minor commercial success.Critical reception
The film was generally panned by critics.It holds a "Rotten" 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 78 reviews with an average score of 3.6/10.
On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized rating of 0–100 top reviews from mainstream critics, it holds an average score of 27% based on 21 reviews. Most film critics targeted the film for "lacking a script" such as Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips (critic)
Michael Phillips is a film critic for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Previously he was the drama critic of the Tribune; the Los Angeles Times; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; the San Diego Union-Tribune; and the Dallas Times Herald....
of The Chicago Tribune for being "True Lies
True Lies
True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, and Art Malik. Eliza Dushku also appears in the film in one of her first major film roles...
without the striptease or the Arab-maiming" and Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith is an American critic, novelist and essayist. He is a staff film critic for the New York Post. His film reviewing style has been called "an exercise in hilarious hostility" by Entertainment Weekly....
of The New York Post who also claimed the film is "ripping off True Lies."
Lael Loewenstein of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
gave the film a negative review saying the film's "cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
ish jokes and misfired gags are likely to elicit more eye rolls than laughs." Daniel Eagan of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
also disliked the film saying most of the film is "pretty tired stuff from 'Pacifier
The Pacifier
The Pacifier is a 2005 comedy film directed by Adam Shankman and written by Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant. It stars Vin Diesel, Lauren Graham, Faith Ford, Brittany Snow, Max Thieriot, Morgan York, Carol Kane, and Brad Garrett. The film was released in March 2005 by Walt Disney Pictures, and earned...
'-style slapstick to comic relief delivered by, of all people" and that Chan "seems stiff" and "clad in unattractive clothes and forced into dumbed-down situations."
David Stratton
David Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
of At the Movies dismissed the film calling it "a sad viewing experience". He added "The woeful screenplay, the mundane direction, by Brian Levant, and the indifferent acting all combine to sink a stupid plot which should never have got off the ground." Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
gave the film 2½ stars. Rickey, giving the film the benefit of the doubt, wrote "The plot may be forgettable, but the execution is frantic and funny. The Spy Next Door is a movie that will bring smiles to kids – and their grandparents."
Home media
The Spy Next Door was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 18, 2010.Awards and nominations
| Award | Subject | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Razzie Award | Worst Supporting Actor | Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon... |
Nominated |
| George Lopez George Lopez George Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture... |
|||