My Spy: The Eternal City Review

My Spy: The Eternal City gets edgier and naughty in a serviceable sequel with a legitimate whopper reveal. The original cast returns on an Italian mission that pits Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman against a mysterious nuclear terrorist. But the dynamic duo faces an equally formidable opponent, adolescence, which threatens their cherished bond. Teenage girls go boy crazy, demand their space, and don’t want to be lectured by lame parents. Being an elite spy just isn’t as cool when hormones are raging for a dreamy classmate with an impressive high falsetto.

Five years later, JJ (Bautista) has embraced living with Sophie (Coleman) and Kate (Parisa Fitz-Henley) in domestic bliss. He’s happy as a CIA desk analyst, much to the consternation of his tech support partner, Bobbi (Kristen Schaal), and their boss, David Kim (Ken Jeong). He wants his best operative kicking butt in the field, not baking sugar-free scones. Bobbi chides JJ for losing his edge. He’s more concerned that his beloved Sophie no longer idolizes him and has a waning interest in continuing her spy training.

JJ is needed for chaperone duty when Sophie’s high school choir is selected to play a concert in Italy. Kate’s away in Africa and gives JJ the opportunity to strengthen his relationship with Sophie, who’s totally bummed that her father figure will be watching like a hawk. How’s she going to have her first kiss with Ryan (Billy Barratt) when JJ is always around? Sophie’s sour attitude leads JJ to believe he needs to be cooler and more permissive to regain her affection.

Sophie Is More Mature and So Is the My Spy Sequel

My Spy: The Eternal City (2024)

2.5/5

A sequel to the 2020 film, My Spy: The Eternal City is an action-comedy film starring Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman. CIA operative J.J. is coerced into following Sophie on a school trip to Italy that goes south when terrorists attack.

Release Date July 18, 2024

Runtime 1h 51m

Studio(s) Dogbone Entertainment , Good Fear Content , Madison Wells

Distributor(s) Amazon Studios , STX Entertainment , Prime Video

Pros

A very likable cast with great turns from Bautista, Borg, and Coleman
The film uses its Italian settings wonderfully and has a lot of fine action and a warm heart.

Cons

The sequel is a little slow and has some pacing issues.
The movie is both very goofy but also perhaps too adult for young children.

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Meanwhile, in Russia, an elite agent (Nicola Correia-Damude) recovers a hard drive with the locations of one hundred suitcase nukes hidden around the world. David orders her to bring the data immediately to a CIA safe house in Berlin. Her actions trigger an unknown enemy to hire a lethal assassin. The hulking Bishop Crane (Flula Borg) must steal the drive to enact an explosive conspiracy. He’s got a dark past with JJ and has unfinished business.

My Spy: The Eternal City gets big laughs early with menstrual humor. Yup, you read that right. JJ has to make sure all bases are covered for the young women in the choir. This, of course, gets the ick factor response from Sophie and the other students. The film quickly sets the stage for a more adult adventure. Sophie isn’t a child anymore. She wants independence to explore new experiences. This terrifies JJ, who has to accept that his doting little girl is growing up and away from his strict supervision. Even worse, Sophie continually reminds him that he’s not her father. That hurts more than any punishment inflicted by the baddies.

The film could serve as a tourism commercial for Italy. JJ, Sophie, and the choir group go on beautiful excursions that will make you drool. Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Rome, and Vatican City fill the screen with scenic splendor. The eye candy accompanies JJ and Sophie’s parental angst as the teens do their best to ditch the square. These shenanigans get tiresome but take a backseat once the nuclear narrative develops. The funny supporting cast joins the fray as Crane makes a bold move.

Making the argument for why Dave Bautista is the ideal choice to lead a romantic comedy.

Action and Heart Compensate for Silliness & Slow Pacing

My Spy: The Eternal City amps up the violence with Sophie showing the results of JJ’s training. Coleman is pretty formidable when she has to put boots to behinds. The opposite is true for JJ. He needs to rediscover his old mojo and takes quite a beating before finding it. Slapstick laughs ensue with Bautista showing his old wrestling skills. He makes light of his physical presence by not being an unstoppable killing machine. JJ would rather be baking than crushing skulls. This is a welcome turn that adds more depth to the character.

Pacing issues arise as the film struggles to juggle multiple storylines. At an hour and 45 minutes, it’s not a long film, but loses steam as the gimmicks become strained. JJ and Sophie have to deduce the antagonist’s identity before saving the choir from permanent sunburn. The climax becomes a saving grace with a truly unexpected villain. Famed director/co-writer Peter Segal (Tommy Boy, 50 First Dates, Get Smart), returning for his first sequel to an original film, deserves credit for slick placement. The big reveal re-energizes the plot at just the right time.

With a few Prime Video originals and several other intriguing films, the streaming service has subscribers covered in July.

My Spy: The Eternal City will have its detractors on two fronts. Some may take issue with the coarse language and adult-oriented themes in a family film. Relax folks, Sophie is now a teenager. The story isn’t geared towards younger children. The target audience has grown with her. It’s also purposely goofy. The recipe here is to deliver smiles with heaping spoonfuls of action and heart. A likable cast accomplishes that goal. There’s no doubt we’ll see further adventures of JJ, Sophie, and the gang.

My Spy: The Eternal City is a production of STXfilms, MWM Studios, Dogbone Entertainment, and Good Fear Content. It premieres June 18th exclusively on Prime Video. Click on the link below to watch.

Watch on Prime Video

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