The Spy Next Door
Metascore
27 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 21
  3. Negative: 13 out of 21
view
per page

There are no positive critic reviews yet.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.7 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 12
  3. Negative: 5 out of 12
  1. grandpajoe6191
    3
    This is it. Jackie Chan ain't no star anymore. "The Spy Next Door" says it all.
  2. LordOFlibertY
    4
    WHY JACKIE DID YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS **** ROLE AND RUIN YOUR REPUTATION. this movie was garbage, so many forced comedy lines and stupid useless characters… Full Review »
  3. ChadS.
    5
    Bob(Jackie Chan) and Jillian(Amber Valetta) are an item, lovers, to the utter dismay of the divorced woman's children, who complain that their neighbor is "boring", a "geek". To them, the mother could do a lot better, since this suburban mom is a total milf, and obviously, "so far above [Bob]." Conspicuous in its absence, as the kids read Jillian the riot act concerning her latest beau, is any mention of Bob's ethnicity. Since they don't address the very pertinent fact about this bespectacled man being Chinese, the moviegoer is left to interpret their bias against Bob as either being racially-motivated or not, since the "The Spy Next Door" is too innocuous to acknowledge this rupture in the film text. "The Spy Next Door" treats Bob's Chinese heritage like a secret identity, like Clark Kent keeping Superman under wraps until the time is right to tell Lois Lane. Chan, sporting black horn-rimmed glasses, in fact, resembles Kent, and quite pointedly, during a dinner scene with Jillian, takes them off when he attempts to tell her about his secret life as a spy. Also, this moment doubles as a reflexive move for the moviegoer, because it alludes to Chan's past glory as an action hero(practically a superhero of sorts to his fellow countrymen), a persona that eventually emerges from the trappings of this domestic comedy. It's no accident that Bob reveals himself at a Chinese restaurant, in which Jillian's kids are explicitly confronted by his true identity as a spy, and minority. Earlier in the film, they go through Bob's personal belongings at his home, but find nothing that addresses his otherness. The DVDs, the clothes, the overall decor of Bob's lair, confirm his "boring"-ness, and the post-colonial construct of the screenplay is preserved, for the time being. As a romantic lead, Chan does nothing more than trade chaste kisses and a brotherly hug with Valetta, which has the effect of making Bob seem vaguely asexual. Jillian's actions, are like the children's actions, which seem to be quietly dictated by Bob's nationality. The kids can't hate him because he's Chinese, and also, Jillian can't really kiss Bob for the very same reason.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »