Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Who would have thought I’d laugh that much over the antics of a chimpanzee and his human secret agent partner. Spymate is a spy adventure movie perfectly suitable for family viewing. Forget the fact that it is implausible and completely unrealistic. This is a fun movie.


Plot Basics – minor spoilers

Mike Muggins retired from being a super-spy to raise his two-year-old daughter, Amelia. This spy had a partner in the unusual form of a chimpanzee named Minkey, who is trained in martial arts. Both spies go their own way, only to be reunited ten years later when Mike’s daughter is kidnapped.

Brilliant twelve-year-old Amelia has invented a revolutionary chemical drill. She is being awarded a prestigious scientific prize and is eager to meet her two heroes: Doctor Claudette Amour and Doctor Robert Farley. Dr. Amour has vanished, and Doctor Farley has an ulterior motive for inviting Amelia as a guest to his think-tank. He kidnaps her. (I won’t tell you why other than Dr. Farley needs Amelia to solve a scientific problem for him.) Of course, the fate of the world is involved!

Mike and Minkey burst out of retirement to find Amelia. Ninjas and henchmen lookout! These two mean business.


My Thoughts

You have to suspend belief in the normal world when watching this movie. After all, this monkey can kick butt and is incredibly intelligent, doing things that would defeat many humans. Children (or kids at heart, like me) will laugh at the antics of this chimpanzee and the humans in this lighthearted action flick.

This movie comes across as a spoof of James Bond and a host of other spy films. No way can I call the plot completely original. However, the way the writers have presented the material makes it entertaining. The acting is typical for that of children’s movies. I don’t mean that in a negative way. The actors are earnest, but at the same time two-dimensional, yet interesting enough to follow their adventures.

Emma Roberts is believable and engaging as Amelia. She is not a typical child (not every twelve-year-old can create a chemical drill therefore changing the way the world looks at how energy is obtained). Serious, straightforward and brilliant, she and her father have a great relationship. While other children adore rock stars and famous actors, all Amelia wants to do is meet Dr. Amour.

Chris Potter plays Mike Muggins, who wishes a normal life for his daughter. I immediately noticed that there was no anguish at the loss of his daughter when she is kidnapped. He cares and is determined to find her, but not even when he sees her in danger does he yell out his concern. Since this is a children’s movie, I can understand where the film-makers might not want to explore the dark side of abduction. Still, I expected at least a bit of worry. Chris Potter doesn’t stand out for me in this role. He looks the part, but he lacks that spark that makes him memorable.

Richard Kind mugs his way through the movie as the kidnapper. I just can’t take him seriously in the roll of a villain. Even though he kidnaps Amelia, he doesn’t display that ruthlessness one would expect in a scientist run amok. At times he comes across as goofy rather than threatening. Perhaps that’s a good thing in a family movie.

Debra Jo Rupp steals every scene she is in. She portrays Mike and Minkey’s contact who provides them with cool gadgets and supplies them with intelligence regarding the events surrounding them. She’s fabulous! I’d watch this movie just for her scenes alone.

Pat Morita is always a pleasure to see on the screen. He brings believability to the role of a sensi.

This movie changes scenery a lot, which keeps the action fresh. There is a variety of action, too, as Mike and Minkey try to locate Amelia. The story jumps from Amelia’s home to her being spirited away to several locations. We jump from the circus (yes, the circus), to the tropics, the city, to snow-laden mountains. Encountered along the way are a variety of characters both good and bad. Both French and Japanese are spoken at times, with some of the Japanese having subtitles.

The special effects in this movie, while not stellar, make the spy-kicking interaction between human and monkey believable. (Except for a few scenes where I knew that chimpanzee anatomy could not possibly do the things portrayed.) There are a few scenes that I could tell were either digitized or engineered in some fashion. On a whole, though, the effects work well in the film. The fight scenes are often slapstick in nature with swords, martial arts, and two explosions. There is no blood or profanity.

I do have one gripe. Why do film-makers believe that adult female scientists need to show cleavage? There are scenes where Dr. Amour is wearing a bikini and later a shirt that is strategically partway unbuttoned. Both Dr. Amour and Edith also wear tight leather outfits, though in Edith’s case it’s quite funny.

On a safety note, there is a car scene where Amelia is clearly a passenger and not wearing a seatbelt. In another scene she plays with electricity and is shocked, though not seriously injured.

I enjoyed this film and laughed out loud several times. There were also moments where I snapped out of the magic of the movie to think, “Whoa! How can a monkey do that?” A preteen child will most likely stay with the action, not distracted by thinking “how can this be” like an adult mind would think.


The Cast

I enjoyed seeing familiar faces in this film. There were several that had me saying, “Where do I know that person from?” Here’s a run down of the actors:

Chris Potter (Mike Muggins) – plays Evan Owen on “The Young and the Restless”

Emma Roberts (Amelia Muggins) – plays Addie Singer on “Unfabulous” in the movies Nancy on “Nancy Drew”

Richard Kind (Dr. Robert Farley) – plays Frugal Lucre on “Disney’s Kim Possible” and Lucius Lavin on “Stargate Atlantis”

Debra Jo Rupp (Edith) – played Kitty Forman on “That 70's Show” and Alice Knight Buffay on “Friends”

Pat Morita (Kiro) – voice of the Emperor in “Mulan” and Mr. Miyagi in “The Karate Kid” movies

Barry Bostwick (the President) – played Dashiel Biedermeyer in the “Nancy Drew” movie

Robert Vince and Anna McRoberts share credit as producers. They also produced the “Air Buddies” movie.


Purchasing & Movie Specs

This movie is available on DVD in a keepcase. List price is $26.99. Amazon.com sells it for $23.99, Buy.com for $22.83. The movie originally aired in 2003 and was released on DVD in 2006. Definitely buy this movie on sale or rent it. The film is not terrific enough to pay over $20.00 for it.

Rated PG, the DVD is in English with one behind-the-scenes feature. Movie run time is 84 minutes. This DVD is for Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only) with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. It has Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.


Summary

Suspending all reality and relaxing into the fun of the movie, I enjoyed watching Spymate. There is some minor violence, including a few large explosions, but no blood-and-gore. Preteen and young teenagers will enjoy Amelia’s creativity and intelligence and the antics of the chimpanzee and his spy associates. Adults will appreciate a movie the family can watch together, and the scene-stealing Debra Jo Rupp (she makes me laugh!).

I hope you found this review useful.

Enjoy the day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com


Please read my other reviews:

Topper & Topper Returns (two movies)

The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell (Bob Hope movie)

Grand Theft Auto (Ron Howard movie)

Tremors Attack Pack (three movies)

The Mummy: The Legacy Collection (five movies)

Riddick Trilogy (three Vin Diesel movies)

Quatermass & The Pit and Quatermass 2 (two movies)

Titanic movie

LiteOn DVD Recorder/Player


Copyright 2007 Dawn L. Stewart

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD