The Reel Review
A hardened, super-sized CIA agent finds himself thrown off his spy game when a lonely, whip smart nine-year-old blows his cover and blackmails him into befriending her during a surveillance operation targeting her mother.
Anyone unfortunate enough to see 2019’s Stuber might think they are in for another groan-worthy Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) fish out of water, comedy stinker – but guess what? This time they would be wrong.
Yes, the far-fetched, family-friendly story is totally predictable, completely silly and loaded with way too many product placements, but director Peter Segal (Second Act, The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult) keeps the plot chugging along with plenty of refreshingly clever jokes and just enough “aw, isn’t that sweet?” moments to draw you in. Forget the stupid, boring plot – this comedy shines when Bautista and charismatic, young Chloe Coleman put their fun, prickly chemistry on display.
REEL FACTS
• Dave Bautista and Ken Jeong both appeared in 2018’s Avengers: Endgame.
• Chloe Coleman appeared as the daughter of Zoë Kravitz’s character Bonnie in the 2017 HBO series Big Little Lies.
• Greg Byrk (Uncle Victor) is married to Danielle Nicholas Bryk, host of the Canadian home renovation TV shows A Bryk At a Time and Bryk House.
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