Spymate (2003) Reviews

• Fun first half, than loses a bit of oompf, families will still enjoy it very much!

  inkblot112013-11-14

  Mike (Chris Potter) is in the spy business, even though he has a young daughter, Amelia (Emma Roberts). After a near disaster however in the Middle East, where he is rescued by his darling, sidekick chimp, Mike gives up his profession. Instead, he and his staff run a small circus, with the small ape as the star. However, can you keep a good spy down? Let's see. Amelia is very smart and she is recruited by a conniving, thieving scientist to work on a project with some glitches. Dad, not realizing anything is amiss, is glad to part with her for a day or so. But, its soon obvious that Amelia has been kidnapped and Mike has to gather the gang and so forth from the Caribbean to Japan to search out his daughter. Will he be successful? This is a fun family flick, with a nice cast and great scenery. Roberts, in one of her first big roles, is adorable, as is her dad and the precocious chimp. Yes, the story loses a bit of dazzle as it goes along but Pat Morita arrives to help keep the movie going. All in all, the flick is a very fine choice for a family night at the movies.

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• Kids liked it

  awhite26002006-03-06

  I took my two kids aged 7 and 10 to see this movie. They seemed to enjoy it, but I found it to be one of the worst movies I have ever had to sit through. The plot seems okay on the surface - A chimp who works as a spy. However it all goes downhill from there. There are many silly twists, characters that just don't fit and situations that are completely unbelievable. The film was obviously made on a tight budget and it shows. Nothing seems even remotely real. The director has made a number of animal movies in the past, specifically the MVP (Most Valuable Primate) and Airbud movies. This is easily his worst yet. Save your money and go see ANY other kids movie.

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• A pretty terrible movie...

  johnkemnetz2005-10-07

  This was most likely the worst movie I have ever seen. The recipe of putting a monkey named 'Minky', and old lady who can't fit into her leather suit, a stupid bad guy, and an old man spy creates a horrific gumbo of unfunny jokes and 'humorous' actions that aren't even funny to children. I will say, however, that it is a fun movie to watch if you need something to make fun of. The pitiful acting and poor filming make this movie a travesty to modern day movies. Even the extras just make you laugh at their completely unprofessional acting and painful imitations of Japanese people. The plot line is this: super smart girl gets an opportunity to go to a special conference to show her amazing laser. Shock, shock, as it ends up she does not go to any conference, but ends up having to help an evil doctor recreate the impossible 'oxygen laser'. Her father, an ex-spy, finds out and goes to rescue her from the doctor, enlisting the help of his good friend 'Minky' the monkey. Unfunny plot points such as the one in Jamaica in which the monkey speaks in Jamaican to a guy he's is beating up, are all to common. Do not see this movie with the intention of laughing with it. See it with every intention of laughing AT it.

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• One of the most thought provoking films of our generation

  LD Kant2006-12-28

  Earlier today, I had the pleasure of sitting down and watching this fine work of cinematic beauty. Robert Vince is truly one of the most brilliant writers, producers, and directors that Satan has ever put on this earth. The interaction between the chimpanzee and his human sidekick were truly a joy to behold. The love scene was the only point in the film that did not seem perfectly choreographed. It seemed a little out of place and it was clear that the director had substituted the monkey for a human double. Quite disappointing. Notwithstanding this single indiscretion, however, the film was everything I could ask for in a film and more. I recommend this highly to anyone who is in need of entertainment, except potentially those with suicidal tendencies.

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• Simple fun

  gaboonviper-605-4415182010-07-29

  Nothing about this movie is particularly good. The story, the acting, the characters are all terrible. Don't expect any clever plot developments, original one-liners or anything extraordinary. Then you'll be okay. I mean, it's a movie about a monkey(alright fine, it's a chimp for all you zoologists, for the rest of us it's a monkey) who happens to be a spy. What did you expect? Oscar-worthy content? But that doesn't mean you can't have fun watching it. Just watch this with your friends and family and I'll guarantee you'll have plenty of laughs. There's lots of action, absurd spy gadgets, a monkey, circus performers, silly comedy, light drama and a happy ending(this doesn't count as a spoiler does it?). What's not to love?

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