Spy Kids (2001)

Director:

Robert Rodriguez

Writer (WGA):

Robert Rodriguez (written by)

Release Date:

30 March 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Real Spies... only smaller

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Secret Agent | Children | Rescue | Spy | Espionage

Awards:

2 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated PG for action sequences.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Korea:All | 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

Filming Locations:

Atacama Desert, Chile

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

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: Just before the kids meet Machete, the cab drives away, and we hear the sound of it speeding into the distance. But the car is reflected in a nearby window and it can be seen that it just drove ten feet away to get out of the shot.

Quotes:

[Carmen and Juni's robot doubles lift off the ground with fire streaming from the bottom of their feet]
Boy on Playground: ¡Yo quiero los zapatos como esos! (I want shoes like that!)

Movie Connections:

References Apollo 13 (1995)

Soundtrack:

Juni Theme

A Boost For The 'Family Unit'

This was a silly kids' adventure story but still fun the younger ones and for adults, thanks to colorful scenes, great special effects, decent humor and a nice family tone to it. The kids are alright, except the girl is a little bossy, and the villains aren't too nasty. This also looks very good on DVD.

Included in the color and characters are "the thumb people" who were especially fun to watch.

The only problem I found with it is the last 30 minutes in which it got too silly and emphasized (typical Hollywood) how the kids can do the job better than the adults, which a ludicrous film cliché. However, overall "family unity" gets a big boost in this here, even in the end, and that good message is probably a big reason this movie was such a success.