My Mother, the Spy

My wife and I are fans of Alias, so when I saw the DVD for this spy-mommy movie on sale for a buck, I picked it up, thinking we could laugh at how bad it was. I was surprised from quite early in the movie at the talent of the leads, especially the actress who plays the daughter. The writing was excellent, really quite funny for an obviously made-for-TV movie. The movie and actors don't take themselves too seriously, and they seem to be having a lot of fun. The dialog is intelligent and well-executed, the action is fun. We even enjoyed seeing the boom microphone in a few scenes. All in all, a quite surprisingly entertaining movie. I'd say it's worth a rent, especially if you like truly funny action movies.

This film was great, I really enjoyed it. In particular, the script was excellent, the dialogue was really witty and fast-paced most of the time. This was brought to the screen very well by the attractive Jayne Brook whose character Alison goes straight into my list of all-time great movie characters, alongside the likes of Indiana Jones and Rollergirl. Other plus points included the silly-but-not-too-silly humour of the film and the clarity of the photography. I didn't care too much for the plot which seemed weary and contrived, but it was not meant to be a serious film and the script and leading actress were enough to keep me more than happy for an hour and a half.

Saw a few years ago and decided to watch again for a recap. It's actually very funny. I loved the scenes between the daughter and the evil boss, well scripted and great comic timing. I was surprised how much I enjoyed watching again.

Jayne Brook is undoubtedly is one of sexiest film and television actresses I have ever witnessed on the big or small screen. She evokes a sensual warmth, subtle sexual tension with leading men and casual, natural femininity that is comparable only to early Carol Lynley, very early Bette Davis or Lauren Bacall. I sometimes think Christa Miller of the "The Drew Carey Show" comes close to this type of magnetic screen presence but she doesn't do so consistently. For Ms. Brook, it is as if she was gifted by her parents some extraordinarily strong female pheromones, only 'pheromones for the eyes'.

She can dance. She can act. She makes her fellow performers shine. She has terrific comedic timing and a transparent honesty. I actually find it difficult to take my eyes off of her during her performance.

"My Mother, The Spy" is so-so. How pleasant to see Gloria Stuart in one of her final roles post-"Titanic". But the film is a good-for-the-time-being star vehicle for the radiant Ms. Brook. She is easily ready for the big time and, frankly, overdue. What a refreshing change she'd be from the inauthentic J-Lo's and Charlize's of the film world.

I'd like to see her stretch into a serious starring motion picture role. Maybe a Hollywood casting director might decide to avoid the mediocre and land this supremely talented cu-tie...

By the way, I thought Dyan Cannon did her usual excellent job, in this case, playing her mother. Even in 2000, Cannon continues to defy age comparisons as she looks so darn young!

The movie plays initially like a "Made for TV" movie, but it then just goes on and on with bad writing, ridiculous bad acting and plenty of goofs that viewers will easily notice.