‘My Spy The Eternal City’ Review – A Masterclass In Disguising Laughs And Thrills

While I was a fan of the first Peter Segal entry in the burgeoning My Spy franchise, it was a very close call. After all, it was during COVID-19 when life was never the same. The first entry had its qualities, much like the follow-up, My Spy the Eternal City. The Dave Bautista vehicle showcased many of the director’s signature elements. Films like Get Smart, 50 First Dates, and Tommy Boy are light and unassuming.

The problem is that while the first film lacked depth and complexity, especially with its characters, it was still funny. However, My Spy the Eternal City lost its way in execution, with Bautista rarely displaying the comic chops he’s known for from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and the first My Spy entry.

The sequel follows Bautista’s character, Agent JJ, who now works a desk job instead of being in the field. He is content coming home every night to Sophie (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ Chloe Coleman) and her mother, Kate (Lara Babalola). However, this is not what Sophie had in mind when she befriended JJ four years ago. She wanted him to train her as a spy. Now, she wants to be a teenager and for JJ to return to fieldwork.

With Kate away, JJ runs the household and feels hurt because Sophie still does not see him as a father figure. He is asked to chaperone a class trip to Italy, where Sophie’s school choir has been selected to sing at a prestigious event. This also means Sophie will spend more time with her crush, Ryan (Mary Poppins Returns‘ Billy Barratt), and her best friend, Collin (Taeho K), who happens to be the son of JJ’s boss, David (Ken Jeong).

From there, the film begins to fall flat with humor and even the action. In Italy, JJ and Sophie are unwittingly involved in a plot after David’s son is abducted by a German assassin named Crane (Flula Borg) and a feral terrorist with a penchant for too much mascara (Anna Faris). So, JJ calls in his boss and his old partner, Bobbi (Kristen Schaal), for a rescue mission to save Collin and the world before it’s too late.

The problem with Segal’s sequel and the script by Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber, who wrote the original, is that it lacks the adorable quality of a massive giant finding meaning in life outside of killing bad guys. We no longer have the Kindergarten Cop homage of making a difference in children’s lives. Yes, Sophie is now a teenager, and it is her nature to rebel.

There is an initially amusing bit with what looks like killer parakeets, but that joke dies quickly. Actors like Faris and Craig Robinson’s performances are relatively one-note. They are the exact cardboard cutouts you’ve seen countless times before. Schaal is the only one who brings any amusement with her usual shtick. Mostly, this has to do with when she argues and competes with Sophie over JJ’s attention.

However, while the original had the humility to know its identity, My Spy the Eternal City aims for slightly higher action aspirations but needs to remember the thoughtful sense of humor that made the first enjoyable. The sequel’s story and plot are trite and predictable. This Dave Bautista vehicle in action-comedy does an adequate job of keeping the laughs and thrills in disguise.

My Spy the Eternal City is available to stream exclusively on Prime Video.

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