Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Movies

Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
Best / Worst of the Decade

Wide Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Limited Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

52 [Rec] 2
xx 12th & Delaware
xx 180° South
90 45365
55 8: The Mormon Proposition
xx Accidents Happen
62 After the Cup: The Sons of Sakhnin United
36 After.Life
73 Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector, The
55 Agora
82 Ajami
77 Alamar
78 Anton Chekhov's The Duel
63 Around a Small Mountain
57 Audrey the Trainwreck
xx Badmaash Company
xx Barking Water
75 Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
62 Behind the Burly Q
63 Best Worst Movie
31 Black Waters of Echo's Pond, The
35 Boogie Woogie
64 Breath Made Visible: Anna Halprin
xx Brotherhood
24 Burzynski
51 Butcher's Son, The
xx Ca$h
67 Cairo Time
59 Cartel, The
68 Casino Jack and the United States of Money
37 Charlie St. Cloud
xx Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This
48 Chloe
66 City Island
52 City of Your Final Destination, The
56 Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
58 Concert, The
xx Contenders, The
xx Convention
71 Countdown to Zero
83 Crazy Heart
51 Creation
xx Cremaster Cycle, The
73 Cropsey
73 Cyrus
74 Daddy Longlegs
64 Disappearance of Alice Creed, The
73 Dogtooth
50 Don McKay
66 Double Take
47 Dry Land, The
67 Eclipse, The
85 Exit Through the Gift Shop
56 Extra Man, The
75 Farewell
76 Father of My Children, The
30 Finding Bliss
38 Flipped
52 Formosa Betrayed
60 Fresh
xx Fruit Fly
53 Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema
43 George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead
76 Get Low
68 Ghost Bird
77 Ghost Writer, The
68 Girl on the Train, The
66 Girl Who Played with Fire, The
xx Gone with the Pope
40 Good Heart, The
69 Good, The Bad, The Weird, The
49 Great Directors
45 Greatest, The
76 Greenberg
59 Handsome Harry
24 Happiness Runs
73 Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Suess
55 Harry Brown
80 Have You Heard From Johannesburg?: Apartheid and the Club of the West
57 Here and There
xx Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger
51 Holy Rollers
54 Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel
32 Human Centipede (First Sequence), The
79 I Am Love
91 I Was Born, But...
33 In My Sleep
60 Infidel, The
67 It Came From Kuchar
74 Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
79 Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
57 John Rabe
55 Joneses, The
55 Juche Idea, The
65 Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D
86 Kids Are All Right, The
53 Killer Inside Me, The
53 Killing Kasztner
44 Kimjongilia
xx Kings of the Evening
68 Kisses
62 Kites: The Remix
47 La Mission
xx Last Letters from Monte Rosa
xx Law, The
63 Lbs.
xx Le amiche
58 Leaves of Grass
87 Lebanon
72 Let It Rain
70 Life During Wartime
41 Lightkeepers, The
76 Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders
37 Living Wake, The
66 Looking for Eric
72 Lottery, The
37 Love Ranch
86 Mademoiselle Chambon
xx Malice in Wonderland
46 Mercy
78 Messenger, The
47 Metropia
62 Micmacs
75 Mid-August Lunch
60 Middle Men
54 Misfortunates, The
64 Mother and Child
75 Mugabe and the White African
35 Multiple Sarcasms
65 Mundo Alas
xx My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
50 My Name is Khan
41 Nature of Existence, The
71 Neshoba: The Price of Freedom
xx Nightfall
71 No One Knows About Persian Cats
59 Nobody’s Perfect
72 Oath, The
xx Ocean of Pearls
65 Ondine
59 Only When I Dance
58 OSS 117: Lost in Rio
xx Oxford Murders, The
37 Paper Man
63 Parking Lot Movie, The
68 Patrik Age 1.5
40 People I've Slept With, The
42 Perfect Game, The
47 Perrier's Bounty
48 Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies
78 Please Give
31 Pornography: A Thriller
41 Princess Kaiulani
90 Prophet, A
xx Raajneeti
67 Raavan
78 Racing Dreams
xx Ramchand Pakistani
xx Red Birds
63 Reel Injun
85 Restrepo
xx Road, Movie
45 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead
xx Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
43 Salt of This Sea
81 Secret in Their Eyes, The
81 Secret of Kells, The
73 See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary
57 Severe Clear
57 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
52 Shine of Rainbows, A
48 Sicilian Girl, The
77 Single Man, A
68 Smash His Camera
69 Solitary Man
45 South of the Border
56 Spoken Word
47 Spring Fever
75 Square, The
22 Standing Ovation
75 Stonewall Uprising
53 Tales from the Script
74 Terribly Happy
78 Teza
75 That Evening Sun
xx They Came to Play
49 Thorn in the Heart, The
xx Thru the Moebius Strip
60 TiMER
64 Tirador
15 To Age or Not to Age
52 Touching Home
33 Trash Humpers
59 Trotsky, The
xx Trust Us, This Is All Made Up
24 Twelve
56 Two in the Wave
62 Valhalla Rising
85 Vincere
xx Visionaries
54 Wah Do Dem
70 Warlords, The
56 What's the Matter with Kansas?
55 When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors
68 Whiz Kids
52 Who Do You Love
35 Who Killed Nancy
64 Wild Grass
xx Wild Hunt, The
56 Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest, The
69 Winnebago Man
90 Winter's Bone
68 Women Without Men
xx World on a Wire

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Spy Next Door, The

EMAILPRINTLionsgate

Spy Next Door, The reviews
27
6.0 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 11 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >

Movie Info

Genre(s): Action  |  Comedy  |  Family/Kids

Written by: Jonathan Bernstein
Jim Greer

Directed by: Brian Levant

Release Date:
Theatrical: January 15, 2010
DVD: May 18, 2010

Running Time: 92 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG for sequences of action violence and some mild rude humor

Starring Jackie Chan, Madeline Carroll, Alina Foley, George Lopez, Billy Ray Cyrus, Amber Valletta, and Katherine Boecher

When Gillian suddenly has to leave town, Bob volunteers to babysit the children so he can earn their approval. But when one of the kids mistakenly downloads a top-secret formula from his computer, Bob’s archenemy, a Russian terrorist, moves in for the attack, forcing Bob to juggle the roles of spy and prospective stepfather in the most challenging mission of his career! (Lionsgate)

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...

63

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

The plot may be forgettable, but the execution is frantic and funny. The Spy Next Door is a movie that will bring smiles to kids - and their grandparents.

Read Full Review >
50

The Hollywood Reporter Daniel Eagan

Most of The Spy Next Door is pretty tired stuff from "Pacifier"-style slapstick to comic relief delivered by, of all people, erstwhile country star Billy Ray Cyrus.

Read Full Review >
50

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

There's nothing wrong with Chan's making a silly comedy for kids. But he's got more in him than grinning, nodding and falling down a lot. All he needs is a filmmaker who's ready to let him to make that leap.

Read Full Review >
42

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Chan’s anything-goes affability keeps the film from scraping bottom.

Read Full Review >
40

The New York Times A.O. Scott

The outtakes are not all that great but still better than anything else in the movie.

Read Full Review >
40

Village Voice Melissa Anderson

Immediately forgettable family entertainment, suitable for release only in the dung-heap month of January.

Read Full Review >
40

Variety Lael Loewenstein

Chan struggles gamely to charm, but the picture's cartoonish jokes and misfired gags are likely to elicit more eye rolls than laughs.

Read Full Review >
40

Boxoffice Magazine Wade Major

While it never quite rises above the problems inherent in the material, The Spy Next Door does shine in those moments when Jackie and his stunt crew are permitted to do what they do best.

Read Full Review >
38

Boston Globe Ty Burr

The film’s so formulaic your 6-year-old will be ticking off the plot points as they lope by.

Read Full Review >
38

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Everybody knew to wait for the outtakes during the closing credits, because you'd see him miss a fire escape or land wrong in the truck going under the bridge. Now the outtakes involve his use of the English language.

Read Full Review >
38

USA Today Claudia Puig

Chan has more chemistry with the kids than with Valletta, but the story is so insipid that it's likely to only sadden fans of the martial-arts icon and offer little enjoyment to its young audience.

Read Full Review >
38

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

This is “True Lies” without the striptease or the Arab-maiming.

Read Full Review >
30

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

In middle age Jackie Chan can't keep coasting on boyish charm, as evidenced by this dreadful family comedy that does him no favors with its opening title sequence.

Read Full Review >
30

Time Richard Corliss

That imperishable affability, that eagerness to please his Hollywood bosses, allows Chan to elude many of the indignities thrown his way in The Spy Next Door. It may also be the reason he says yes to a junky movie like this.

Read Full Review >
25

Orlando Sentinel Roger Moore

Limp and lifeless, this Next Door neighbor should be evicted to DVD.

Read Full Review >
25

New York Post Kyle Smith

The makers of The Spy Next Door should give 50 percent of their profits to James Cameron for ripping off "True Lies." Let's see, what's 50 percent of nothing?

Read Full Review >
25

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jennie Punter

Chan's comedic gifts and still-nimble moves are wasted in a string of unimaginative household calamities and practical jokes.

Read Full Review >
25

San Francisco Chronicle Amy Biancolli

A mostly inoffensive nothing of a film with one or two mild chuckles and lots of chop-socky commotion.

Read Full Review >
20

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

The movie even has the nerve to start with a montage of moments from his better films, a bad idea that sets off an escalating tumble downhill.

Read Full Review >
20

Time Out New York Joshua Rothkopf

The little action here will disappoint fans; it’s way too choppy.

Read Full Review >
0

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Nobody of Chan's legendary stature should ever have to play second banana to George Lopez, and certainly not in a film that was already made five years ago with Vin Diesel (see: The Pacifier).

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.0 (out of 10) based on 11 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Sam K. gave it an8:
Another good movie from Chan. I love Chan's movies and love to watch it again and again.

Rusty S gave it a10:
This movie had a lot of potential. And it lived up to it. Great job!

Eggy G. gave it a7:
Really silly & mindless plot...but surprisingly entertaining. It's like reading a funny comic book. Perfect popcorn movie for whole family.

minh gave it a10:
I do not know what's wrong with you critics. You critics are boring. The movie is very enjoyable, funny and the plot is predictable but so what? It was made to make you laugh, to forget your stressful day and in that sense the movie succeeds in every way. Oh don't lie i bet you all laughed your a** off watching it. Probably the job of criticism is too stressful that you can't enjoy a lighthearted movie. Take off your mask! Jackie Chan is awesome, the youngest kid (Alina Foley) is too adorable.

Chad S. gave it a5:
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.

Popular on CBS sites: US Open | PGA Championship | iPad | Video Game Reviews | Cell Phones

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use (UPDATED)