Pint Sized Spies In a Big Hit

This is a gently funny movie that kids will love and their parents will like. My two boys have been playing "Spy Kids" ever since we have seen the movie. They totally enjoyed it. In fact, this is the first movie that the four year old has sat through without wanting to go running in the aisles. (On some of the Disney cartoons I have been dragged to, I wanted to run screaming through the aisles with him.)

Although it is aimed directly at kids with its simple plot and sometimes over the top acting by the adults in the film, the producers knew that parents will be in the audience, too. There is enough plot, sight gags, and jokes aimed at the adults to make this film a pleasant experience for the parents. I especially liked the "warm water" joke. About half of the kids in the theater didn't get it but the adults certainly did! Look for it.

One thing I liked about the story was that Mom and Dad didn't have to be total idiots to get them selves into a situation where the kids thought they could help get them out. The kids were only trying to help their parents, not trying to pull off an implausible rescue of a pair of bumbling idiots. Sure, the plot was implausible. That is what kept my kids interested. But the family dynamics were plausible and that is where most kid flicks fall apart. I liked it and my boys liked it, too.