DVD Reviews

The Spy Next Door (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll May 17, 2010, 22:45 GMT

THE SPY NEXT DOOR stars Jackie Chan as Bob Ho, an undercover CIA superspy who decides to give up his career in espionage to settle down with his next-door neighbor and girlfriend, Gillian (Amber Valletta). But Bob has one more mission to complete before Gillian agrees to marry him: winning over her three opinionated kids. When Gillian suddenly has to leave town, Bob volunteers to babysit the children so he ...more

Jackie Chan still has the kicks and stunts, but this time he’s aiming for a younger crowd. The problem is even if the stunts are cool the acting and plot are subpar.

Bob Ho (Jackie Chan) wears glasses and works in a pen import business. He is the very definition of geeky. He is dating his next door neighbor Gillian (Amber Valletta).

She has three kids, preteen, obstinate Farren (Madeline Carroll), con-man Ian (Will Shadley), and the young Nora (Alina Foley), and none of them much like Bob.

What nobody knows about Bob is that he’s a Chinese intelligence agent who is working undercover for the CIA. His boss Glaze (George Lopez) and his partner Colton (Billy Ray Cyrus) are after notorious Russian terrorist Poldark (Magnus Scheving) and Bob’s final assignment results in the bad guy getting caught.

It looks like Bob is going to be able to finally come clean with Gillian and move their relationship to a new level, but her father has an accident and she quickly needs to go to his side. This means that she needs a babysitter post haste and Bob volunteers for the job.

However, the kids have other plans in store for Bob since they don’t want him around. Mischief ensues. Bob is sent a computer file by Colton but he’s too busy taking care of the kids to download it.

When Ian thinks it is a bootleg concert he downloads it to get some “cool” cred at school. What they don’t know is that it is a secret formula that the newly escaped Poldark wants to get his hands back on.

The Spy Next Door owes much to the likeability and stunt work of Jackie Chan. That’s about where the good will ends as the rest of the film has so been done before (I think Hulk Hogan starred in a similar line and Vin Diesel was the Pacifier).

It’s all done with cartoon goofiness that those that spend their time glued to the Disney Channel lineup will find much to like, the presence of Billy Ray Cyrus doesn’t hurt either.

However, those who enjoyed Chan’s earlier films will roll their eyes at the over-the-top acting (such as in that same lineup) and craptastic plot. Chan has all the charm that he’s show in his other picture but this time it’s all done for children. The problem is that the adults that bring those children need to be entertained too.

My kids at least watched the whole thing, I only hung my head in annoyance at each terrible mugging grimace or goofball turn in the plot. I could find a little solace in the fact that the Blu-ray picture looked okay, but when you’re looking at a cruddy film what difference does it make?

It all plays like a television movie than a big screen attempt. All that grousing being said, if you’re under ten then you may not be too critical.

The Spy Next Door is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.78:1). Special features are in high definition and include the 10 minute “Jackie Chan: Stunt Master and Mentor” about his stunt-work and working with his younger co-stars, the 11 minute “Adventures in Action with the Kids of the Spy Next Door” interviews the child actors, and there’s also a 3 minute blooper reel. Disc two is a DVD copy.

The Spy Next Door is not going to make Chan fans too happy as it’s not too good. Sure Chan is highflying and charming, but he’s stuck in a terrible film. I hope his career isn’t going to include much more like this one (it actually makes the Karate Kid redo look like a step up).