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Wide Releases
Now In Theaters
76
(500) Days of Summer
60
9
17
All About Steve
37
Amelia
53
Astro Boy
66
Bandslam
45
Box, The
61
Capitalism: A Love Story
55
Christmas Carol, A
43
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
66
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
29
Collector, The
23
Couples Retreat
80
District 9
61
Extract
39
Fame
xx
Fantastic Mr. Fox
30
Final Destination, The
34
Fourth Kind, The
60
Funny People
32
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
27
Gamer
41
G-Force
39
Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, The
46
Halloween II
73
Hangover, The
78
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
55
I Can Do Bad All By Myself
66
Informant!, The
69
Inglourious Basterds
58
Invention of Lying, The
47
Jennifer's Body
66
Julie & Julia
34
Law Abiding Citizen
33
Love Happens
54
Men Who Stare At Goats, The
67
Michael Jackson's This Is It
51
My Sister's Keeper
42
Orphan
28
Pandorum
63
Perfect Getaway, A
86
Ponyo![]()
35
Post Grad
48
Proposal, The
30
Saw VI
53
Shorts
24
Sorority Row
83
Star Trek![]()
33
Stepfather, The
45
Surrogates
55
Taking Woodstock
47
Time Traveler's Wife
96
Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D![]()
35
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
28
Ugly Truth, The
88
Up![]()
71
Where the Wild Things Are
67
Whip It
28
Whiteout
73
Zombieland
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Limited Releases
Now In Theaters
58
(Untitled)
96
35 Shots of Rum![]()
56
Adam
72
Adela
39
Adventures of Power
78
Afghan Star
61
After the Storm
66
Afterschool
xx
All the Best
58
American Casino
72
Amreeka
48
Antichrist
73
Araya
62
Art & Copy
55
As Seen Through These Eyes
76
Baader Meinhof Complex, The
86
Beaches of Agnes, The![]()
13
Beautiful Life, A
70
Beeswax
35
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
71
Big Fan
66
Black Dynamite
51
Blind Date
xx
Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly
76
Bliss
35
Blue Tooth Virgin, The
26
Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, The
57
Boys Are Back, The
45
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
81
Bright Star![]()
70
Bronson
45
Burning Plain, The
xx
Carriers
55
Casi Divas
57
Chelsea on the Rocks
62
Cloud 9
65
Coco Before Chanel
69
Cold Souls
59
Collapse
44
Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha
82
Cove, The![]()
75
Crude
82
Damned United, The![]()
67
Departures
xx
Dil Bole Hadippa
71
Disgrace
xx
Do Knot Disturb
70
Earth Days
24
Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat
85
Education, An![]()
55
Endgame
xx
Eulogy for a Vampire
xx
Everyone Else
xx
Fatal Promises
56
Fifty Dead Men Walking
62
Five Minutes of Heaven
74
Flame & Citron
49
Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution
80
Food, Inc.
28
Free Style
xx
From Mexico with Love
50
Fuel
25
Gentlemen Broncos
50
Give Me Your Hand
58
Gogol Bordello Non-Stop
72
Good Hair
89
Goodbye Solo![]()
52
Grace
66
Harmony and Me
81
Headless Woman, The![]()
xx
Heretics, The
63
Horse Boy, The
73
House of the Devil, The
xx
How to Seduce Difficult Women
74
Humpday
94
Hurt Locker, The![]()
29
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
16
If One Thing Matters: A Film About Wolfgang Tillmans
75
In Search of Beethoven
83
In the Loop![]()
61
Intimate Enemies
42
Irene in Time
70
It Might Get Loud
46
Killing Kasztner
19
Labor Day
xx
Laila's Birthday
41
Little Ashes
41
Little Traitor, The
66
Liverpool
34
Looking for Palladin
80
Lorna's Silence
83
Maid, The![]()
xx
Ministers, The
59
More Than a Game
67
Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, The
34
Motherhood
62
My One and Only
xx
Mystery Team
48
New York, I Love You
73
Night and Day
66
No Impact Man
47
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning
34
Other Man, The
xx
Painter Sam Francis, The
54
Paper Heart
xx
Paradise
68
Paranormal Activity
68
Paris
44
Peter and Vandy
35
Play the Game
77
Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire
xx
Pretty Ugly People
65
Providence Effect, The
76
Rembrandt's J'accuse
69
September Issue, The
79
Serious Man, A
40
Shrink
61
Skin
77
Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake, A
xx
Skiptracers
46
Splinterheads
39
St. Trinian's
89
Still Walking![]()
50
Stoning of Soraya M., The
55
Storm
65
Tetro
70
That Evening Sun
72
Thirst
xx
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D (re-release)
61
Trucker
xx
Turning Green
83
U2 3D![]()
66
Unmade Beds
66
Unmistaken Child
70
Visual Acoustics
55
Walt & El Grupo
67
Way We Get By, The
69
We Live in Public
64
Wedding Song, The
64
Where is Where?
xx
White on Rice
74
Woman in Berlin, A
69
World's Greatest Dad
70
Yes Men Fix the World
69
Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg
xx
You, the Living
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Spy Kids

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 27 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 46 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Family/Kids
Written by: Robert Rodriguez
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Release Date:
Theatrical: March 30, 2001
DVD: September 18, 2001
Running Time: 90 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG for action sequences
Starring Antonio Banderas, Daryl Sabara, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega, Alan Cumming, Teri Hatcher, Cheech Marin, and Danny Trejo
Prior to their retirement nine years ago, Gregorio (Banderas) and Ingrid (Gugino) were the two greatest secret agents the world had ever known. Now, as the two are called back to duty, their adventures put them into such danger that the only two people who can rescue them (and maybe the world) are their children! Sometimes the biggest heroes are the smallest ones. (Miramax)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
There is a whole lot to be said for fun -- especially fun that can be shared by all -- and in this regard Spy Kids saves the day.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
The most delightful family movie since "Stuart Little."
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
The film's full of in-jokes, from the Spanish-language billboards to the name of Banderas' character.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Lively, imaginative, with a playful sense of humor.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
If I were 8, I would want to see it 800 times.
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Yummy and weightless.
Chicago Tribune Mark Caro
A throwback to the family films of the 1970s, like one of Disney's goofy capers crossed with "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
It's Alan Cumming who takes over the movie as the impish mastermind Fegan Floop.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Jay Carr
Wacky enough and gadget-driven enough to appeal to bored kids looking for fresh energies.
USA Today Andy Seiler
By emphasizing surreal humor and fast-paced action instead, Rodriguez has crafted a prepubescent version of James Bond without aping that series' style.
Read Full Review >Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson
Rodriguez has made a movie for kids, and the most and least that can be said about it is that parents, while hardly being catered to, will experience profound relief that the movie knows how to entertain and does so.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Andy Klein
It's funny and exciting on enough levels that adults are likely to enjoy it just as much as the rug rats.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Reece Pendleton
A slyly subversive adventure tale that should appeal to children and adults alike.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Paul Malcolm
It's whiz-bang, techno fun, with a touch of Latino flavor.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Michael Atkinson
Has an intemperate vitality that's hard to resist.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
One of those gentle surprises, a kids' picture made with enough thought and care to keep adults entertained too.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Stephen Hunter
As a piece of almost dadaist filmmaking, Spy Kids is great fun with its continual spirit of invention.
Read Full Review >Variety Lael Loewenstein
Fulfills kids' empowerment fantasies and features enough techno-wizardry and cool f/x to satisfy those weaned on videogames.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
The high-profile cast -- play their roles with just the right mix of seriousness and tongue-in-cheek self-awareness.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
Energetic and slickly done, but also somewhat soulless.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
The movie's not nearly as cool as the setup.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
One lousy little movie -- utterly devoid of any real originality or charm.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 46 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Sam gave it a7:
It's a good movie, decent effects, likeable characters, and the sequel is pretty good to. It's to bad they released 3-D and the horrible spin-off Shark boy and Lava Girl.
[Anonymous] gave it a7:
Harmless fluff that occasionally entertains the grownups. Some of the ideas feel like they were written under the influence of drugs, though.
[Anonymous] gave it a7:
Harmless fluff that occasionally entertains the grownups. Some of the ideas feel like they were written under the influence of drugs, though.
Victor M. gave it a 9:
It's an excellent film.
Pat C. gave it a 6:
No complaints. Generally harmless for kids and adults.
Alyssa S. gave it a 10:
I really liked spy kids. When I first got it, me and my brothers and sisters could not stop watching it. I still like like it now. I think that this would be a movie that a lot of people should want to get.
Dave c. gave it a 7:
Great fun for the whole family and I love the way it relates so well to the family audience. It simultaneuosly brings to life the kinds of things lurking in the overactive imaginations while poking fun at the way kids are drawn into mind rotting escapism such as Floop's TV show. All the while being a fun filled adventure and as far as spy films go, 007 had better quit while he's ahead, because this more betetr than any Bond film to come out in the last 20 years. The only criticism I could give the film is the really bad special effects and lack of genuine heart that we see in other family films like Toy Story 2 and Shrek and the characters are too casual to be in any way lovable. Otherwise, this is well worth your time. Rent it out and watch it with your kids, you won't regret it.
