Ten years ago Dave Bautista transitioned from wrestling to acting, appearing as assorted thugs and heavies (“Brass Body,” Drug Dealer #1,” etc.) before nailing his role as Drax in four Marvel blockbusters. Since then he’s followed a route taken by Dwayne Johnson, John Cena and, before them, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Remake some earlier action pieces (in Bautista’s case, Kickboxer: Vengeance), try updates of classics (Final Score, Bautista’s Die Hard in a football stadium), go international (Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy, directed by Yuen Woo Ping), cameo in prestige items (Blade Runner 2049).
Through them all Bautista has displayed poise, exceptional physicality, and a great sense of humor. Like Johnson, he is a living special effect, and on screen his physical presence can be overwhelming. But because Bautista is in complete control of his movements, like a dancer he is surprisingly light and graceful. At ease, even unflappable, in any situation, he can play off the effect his brooding presence has on others in ways that an earlier generation (namely Sylvester Stallone) never learned.
What he hasn’t found is the kind of vehicle that could cement his position in the marketplace. Yes, four Marvel blockbusters, but in supporting roles (he’s almost nonexistent in Avengers: Endgame.) He held his own with Kumail Nanjiani in Stuber, on the whole a disappointing comedy despite his efforts.
His follow-up, My Spy, finds him working in the same “tough guy babysitter” field as Kindergarten Cop, The Pacifier, Playing with Fire, and every other Dwayne Johnson release. Here he’s JJ, a CIA agent teamed with Kristen Schaal to track down plans for a nuclear weapon after a sting involving stolen plutonium goes south.
Their target is Kate (Parisa Fitz-Henley), the estranged wife of a Eurotrash bad guy. She lives in a low-rent Chicago apartment with her nine-year-old daughter Sophie (Chloe Coleman). It goes without saying in this genre that Sophie is precocious, insecure, something of a tech nerd, and a bullied outsider.
You won’t be too surprised to learn that JJ is a loner too, someone with poor people skills, bullied in his own way by condescending bosses, clerks who misjudge him, and a public frightened by his bulk. Sophie finds a father figure in JJ, and she teaches him how to get in touch with his feelings.
If director Peter Segal (who did the superfluous Get Smart remake) and screenwriters Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber wanted to humanize Bautista, they have the right tools and framework. All they needed was a little creativity, some sense that what they’re doing is new and not basic variations on every babysitter movie before them.
Sadly, My Spy settles for the routine (if not hackneyed) at every opportunity. Schaal, borrowing Miranda Hunt’s role from Spy, delivers a few cute barbs, but is mostly relegated to the sidelines. Likewise, Fitz-Henley exists solely to move the plot along. A little of Chloe Coleman goes a long way, but she is a smart, efficient performer who only plays cute when the script asks her to.
You can sense Bautista doesn’t want to show off like some of his muscular colleagues. Even so, the screenplay downplays his talents too much. Perhaps because of My Spy‘s tricky demographics (kids’ film? action comedy? romantic drama?), Bautista doesn’t get to do much physically. He runs a good street chase about halfway through, but otherwise it’s strictly Hollywood heroics stuff. He’s shortchanged in the comedy department too, unless viewers will be satisfied watching him ice skate or dance.
That doesn’t make My Spy a bad movie, just a disappointing one. Bautista is a much smarter, funnier, and more engaging performer on social media than here, and for me at least his liberal politics are a blessing. So I will continue to support and recommend him, just as I did with Johnson when he was laboring through The Scorpion King and the like. All Dave Bautista needs to become an international star is a better vehicle.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting June 26, 2020.
