Spy Kids

August 23, 2003

Why can’t every kids movie be like this? Intelligent, engaging, with just a dash of potty humor.

I really tried not to watch this movie. I needed to go take a shower, so we could go see Jason Vs. Freddy, but I sat down to smoke a cigarette and didn’t get up off the couch for another hour and a half. I had to find out what happened!

Most of the casting was very obvious. Robert Rodriguez’s regular cast members (Antonio Banderas, Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, etc.) were all in attendance, plus a few cameos by stars of his other movies (Robert Patrick, George Clooney). I thought one of the Fooglies looked like Quentin Tarantino, but that was probably just a coincidence, since Tarantino is fugly. Carla Gugino was an interesting choice to play the Spy Mom. I can’t help but picture her as Rebecca from Son in Law in every film she’s in, but she wasn’t a bad choice. At least she didn’t try to pull off a spanish accent – that would’ve been bad. I didn’t even know that Alan Cummings was in the film – he was definitely the funniest character in the film. He wasn’t Nightcrawler good, but good nonetheless. In that purple frock coat, he would’ve made the perfect Willy Wonka. Too bad Johnny Depp has already bagged the role.

The special effects were really good. They were eye-popping at times, but didn’t take away from the story of the film. I want one of those Thumb Thumbs to come cook me breakfast.

Now I need to go borrow Spy Kids 2, so I can catch Spy Kids 3-D while it’s still in the theater.