Spy Kids (2001)

Note des utilisateurs:

5.7/10   

Réalisateur:

Robert Rodriguez

Scénariste (WGA):

Robert Rodriguez (written by)

Release Date:

30 mars 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Aventure | Comedie | Family | Sci-Fi

Accroche:

Real Spies... only smaller

Plot:

The children of secret-agent parents must save them from danger.

Plot Keywords:

Secret Agent | Rescue | Children | Spy | Espionage

Awards:

2 wins & 10 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Fun for kids and their parents, good for a family movie. *** (out of four)

Ensemble

Antonio Banderas	...	Gregorio Cortez
Carla Gugino	...	Ingrid Cortez
Alexa Vega	...	Carmen Cortez
Daryl Sabara	...	Juni Cortez
Alan Cumming	...	Fegan Floop
Tony Shalhoub	...	Alexander Minion
Teri Hatcher	...	Ms. Gradenko
Cheech Marin	...	Felix Gumm
Robert Patrick	...	Mr. Lisp
Danny Trejo	...	Machete
Mike Judge	...	Donnagon / Donnamight
Richard Linklater	...	Cool Spy
Guillermo Navarro	...	Pastor
Johnny Reno	...	Agent Johnny
Shannon Shea	...	FoOglie #1 / Flower

Autre(s) titre(s):

Espions en herbe (Canada: French title) [fr]
Spy Kids (France) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated PG for action sequences.

Durée:

88 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais | Espagnol

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Son:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES

Classification:

Iceland:L | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Korea:Tous | Ireland:G | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-7/5 | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:I | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:PG (38141) | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

Atacama Desert, Chile

Company:

Dimension Films

Anecdotes:

The name of the Teri Hatcher character, Miss Gradenko, is a reference to a song by The Police on their 1983 "Synchronicity" album.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Gregorio and Ingrid escape and encounter the hallway with the floor of falling puzzle pieces, the pieces fall into a deep hole. But after Gregorio peels his face from the Plexiglas, you can see that the puzzle pieces are on top of the Plexiglas, not underneath it.

Guillemet:

Mr. Alexander Minion: I feel it is time we concentrated on our grand, diabolical plan.
Fegan Floop: Syndication?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inside Troublemaker Studios (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Floop's Song

Fun for kids and their parents, good for a family movie. *** (out of four)

SPY KIDS / (2001) *** (out of four)

By Blake French:

If James Bond married another secret agent, had kids, privately continued his life as a spy, became captured, and left his rescuing to his offspring, we would have the formula for Robert Rodriguez's new action adventure, "Spy Kids." Rodriguez normally directs harsher, more brutal movies, like "Desperado" and "The Faculty," but accustoms a slick style of adventure and humor in this film that exceeds past the level of any of his recent work. "Spy Kids" really does belong in some kind of James Bond picture.

As the film's writer, director, and co producer, Rodriguez does a lot more with the material here than we expect. The film has a stunning array of special effects, ranging from walking thumbs to a particularly imaginative experience in the villain's headquarters. Even the introduction has zest and intrigue: we meet a seemingly normal family of four, consisting of Ingrid and Gregorio Cortez (Alexa Vega and Antonio Banderas), and their children, probably middle school aged, Juni and Carmen (Daryl Sabara and Alexa Vega). As the movie opens, Ingrid tells her children a nice bedtime story about two daring spies assigned to kill the other, but fall in love, get married, and retire. She prepares her offspring for bed and turns the lights off, walks to her husband, and explains she thinks it would be a good idea to tell Carmen and Juni their real identities as top-secret spies; the story Ingrid enlightened her kids with was true.

Rodriguez quickly sketched his characters, but his method is surprisingly effective; the movie starts out with fast-paced action and captures our attention abruptly and does not really lose energy throughout its running time. We learn the two married spies have retired from the business nine years prior, but their fellow OSS agents are disappearing all over the world, and thinks it to be the work of a kids TV show host named Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming in a very whimsical, fitting performance) and his assistant, Minion (Tony Shalhoub). The agents have been converted into clay-like animated characters held captive at his mega tech laboratory. Imaginative and interesting, if a bit cheesy.

Ingrid and Gregorio call their "Uncle" Felix over to watch the kids while they go out on their latest mission. Unfortunately, this mission could be their last; they walk right into a trap and are snared from beneath their toes. Felix receives a distress call, sends the kids to a "safe house," but is captured himself, leaving the responsibilities to the younger members of the family.

The story isn't cheap or silly, although some of the material tests our tolerance for far-fetched science fiction. The underlying motives here are also legitimate. The movie puts confidence in strong family values, honesty, and trust, but does not preach, lecture, or on the other side of the barrel, become lost in an utter mess of silly dog poop and passing gas jokes like "See Spot Run." The movie takes itself seriously, and is well written. We understand the character's motives. "Spy Kids" gets one thing painfully right, and that is the

relationship of the brother and sister. Their relationship is all too familiar in American households, where name calling and mean-spirited behavior inhabit offspring of both sexes. The petty little conflicts they feel strained and forced, giving this movie, otherwise somewhat mature, an immature sensation. This familiar stereotype is profoundly irritating.

"Spy Kids" is often exciting, funny, and almost always entertaining. It is not the kind of movie that parents should just drop their kids off to, however, but should stay for themselves to witness some of the most effective family movie moments in quite a while. In a time when family movies are completely disposable, "Spy Kids" proves itself to stand out from all the others and provide us with a genuine spy movie experience.