‘Spy Kids’ good family fun
I had been reading that “Spy Kids” is an overwhelming hit with film critics. So naturally I had to find out for myself what was making it so successful. During a particularly boring BIS 1400 class, I ducked out early and made for the theater. To my surprise, it was packed. Wanting to feel a part of that youthful joy that comes from an outing at the movies, I invested $2 in something called the Ewok Special.
The Ewok Special consists of a cheerfully decorated cardboard tray scooped full of popcorn and garnished with your choice of a Jolly Rancher stick or Laffy Taffy. With the exception of having to ration a very small drink, the Ewok Special is the best value for your snacking buck. I highly recommend it.
With a mild feeling of euphoria at having discovered such a novel refreshment, I entered the theater.
“Spy Kids” turned out to be exactly what I expected it to be – a family movie about family values. It wasn’t stupid, nor was it brilliant. But something about it seemed comfortably familiar, as the story unraveled predictably to its happy and morally upright ending.
Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino play two spies who meet on the job and fall in love. After their wedding becomes an international mishap, they decide to hang it up and have a family. Neither of them completely leaves the industry, and when the opportunity presents itself, both decide to take on one last mission.
Naturally, things go wrong, and they’re captured by the evil Fegan Floop. The children learn the truth about their parents’ past when Floop’s minions come for them. Naturally, they must take on the task of rescuing Mom and Dad.
What makes “Spy Kids” work is not so much the story, or the novelty of the characters, but the overall creativity of director Robert Rodriquez. His work was both cutting-edge flashy for today’s discerning child and thoughtful in its treatment of modern family issues. Incidentally, Rodriquez was also the director of the excellent, but much aligned “Desperado” (a.k.a. “El Mariachi”). Both movies star Banderas, Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo.
This is the first I remember seeing either of the two child actors, Alexa Vega or Daryl Sabara, but both were really fun to watch. Vega’s performance was especially good as the older sister torn between the desire to nurture and torture her younger brother.
I still can’t quite get over my shock at discovering this film was made by the same team that spawned “Desperado,” but I suppose both movies were on some level about family values. And what, in this charming community, could be more important?
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