Wickedly Smart

In recent interviews to promote his film Spy Kids, writer-director Robert Rodriguez has said that the film was inspired by his desire to make a movie that his three sons (the very coolly named Rebel, Rocket and Racer) could watch. That sounds like public relations spin to mask a creaky career move. But Spy Kids is so wickedly smart, so fully and wonderfully imagined that it's clearly an act of love, not desperation. It's a children's film that will appeal to adults as well, even those who aren't parents. Witty and hugely entertaining, Spy Kids may well wind up being one of the best movies of the year.

Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) are former spies who supposedly retired at the top of their game in order to raise their children and pursue less hectic lives. They're now the parents of a smart, precocious daughter (Alexa Vega) and a younger son (Daryl Sabara) who is still somewhat overwhelmed by the world. When Gregorio is contacted by his old boss and asked to do one last job, not only does Ingrid (itching to get back to work) decide to go along on the job, but a flood of family secrets come pouring out.

Banderas hasn't been so good in ages. Mocking both his own image as a screen lover, and the very icon of the smoldering Latin Lothario, he's both sexy and silly, clearly relishing the part. And Gugino, who has glimmered just below the celebrity radar for a while now, may be the world's sexiest mom, managing to blend maternal warmth and va-va-voom heat simultaneously.

When the couple's mission goes awry, their kids are forced to go undercover in order to save not only their parents, but the world as well. Rodriguez maintains his trademark cool -- the Latin inflected soundtrack, quick banter that's hip but never forced, and fast pacing that never sacrifices logic for expedience - but also expands his style. There are elements of James Bond, Tim Burton and Pee-Wee Herman at work here (the always fantastic Alan Cummings shows up as a Pee-Wee type television host) but it all flows organically. The movie is a visual treat, full of gorgeously overblown sets and gee-whiz gadgets and gizmos. Even more impressive is the fact that the film takes a Latino aesthetic/terrain and presents it as the norm, not in quotes or italics and not with an obvious or heavy-handed political agenda. That makes it both specific in its references, yet wholly universal in appeal. Another bonus is that the film is actually scored, not crammed with wall-to-wall pop tracks. What will please parents most is that this film is filled with life-lessons that are cleverly taught: the importance of family and honesty, the need for belief in self and goodness toward others. But it's Rodriguez' wit and pop-culture savvy, neither of which devolve into raunch or post-mod quipping, that ultimately make this film such a highly recommended treat.