Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World parents guide

Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World Parent Guide

Although the caution to parents who sometimes put off their children may be a worthwhile theme, it is likely to be missed. Few moms and dads will have the patience to sit through this film.

Overall B-

Retired OSS agent Marissa Cortez Wilson (Jessica Alba) thinks she has her hands full trying to bond with her stepchildren (Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook), until she is called back into action. This new assignment will involve the three of them and a couple of former Spy Kids (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) in a fight to stop the villain Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven).

Release date August 19, 2011

Violence C+
Sexual Content A-
Profanity A-
Substance Use A

Why is Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World rated PG? The MPAA rated Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World PG for mild action and rude humor.

Run Time: 89 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

While I’m not a fan of most of his works, I still admire the creator of the Spy Kids. Having grown up in small town television stations myself, I followed the career of Robert Rodriquez through the 1990s and 2000s and discovered he also knows how to stretch a dollar. He’s repeatedly turned a scant few million dollars—mere pocket change in Hollywood parlance—into films that made profits multiple times over the investment. Just as surprising is this guy, who cut his teeth on gritty cult horror movies and westerns that you would never want to show your children, created a series of family movies about two kids who didn’t know their parents are spies.

Part of the secret to Rodriquez’s financial success is his early embracing of new technologies. As computers replaced razor blades in editing suites, he quickly employed the latest devices to literally produce movies in his garage. Yet being a one-man show with a focus on gadgets and economy can have its downside, and that is very much evident in this latest film.

It has been eight years since the last Spy Kids release and it appears Rodriquez wants to "reboot" his brainchild. So he has brought back the Cortez siblings (both being played by his former child stars Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara, who are now young adults), and has enlisted two new performers (Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook). These youngsters, just like Vega and Sabara’s characters a decade ago, are about to discover their stepmother (Jessica Alba) is a spy. And they will also find themselves becoming junior recruits for the OSS agency.

After the big revelation, the siblings find themselves in a Spying 101 crash course under the tutelage of Carmen Cortez (Vega). Their mission involves stopping a bad guy named Tick Tock who has a devious plan to steal the world’s time.

Meanwhile their father (Joel McHale) coincidentally hosts and produces Spy Hunter, a television show determined to reveal covert operatives hiding among the general populace. He’s hoping it will be a big hit within the next five years. When that happens, he continually explains to his children, he will have "more time" to spend with them. Unbeknownst to him, the clocks are ticking faster and faster, and time is literally running out.

Young audiences will be privy to the usual flatulence jokes (a talking robotic dog, voiced by Ricky Gervais, issues an odiferous cloud from his rear end to repel enemies) and scatological humor (their mother takes down a trio of tough guys with a single poop filled diaper and the dog can urinate an oil slick). Throwing up is another favorite weapon, with one assailant being hit by a "barf bag." More serious violence may be a concern for little ones. Characters, both young and old, are often in peril, including an early scene where men break into a home and the kids are forced to escape. However the silliness of the enemy helps to keep any sense of real danger at bay. But children may be tempted to mimic some pranks they hear the daughter has pulled on her father.

Although the caution to parents who sometimes put off their children may be a worthwhile theme, it is likely to be missed. Few moms and dads will have the patience to sit through this film. Nor is the experience worth paying box office dollars—especially for the 3D version. The conversion process has left some objects that should have been further away from the camera appearing closer. So even if you had all the time and money in the world, this film is a far better bet as a home video rental.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez . Starring Jessica Alba, Jeremy Piven, Joel McHale . Running time: 89 minutes. Theatrical release August 19, 2011. Updated

Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World
Rating & Content Info

Why is Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World rated PG? Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World is rated PG by the MPAA for mild action and rude humor.

Violence: Characters are in frequent peril with car chases and hand-to-hand combat, however the fighting never results in visible injuries or blood. Men with high tech time stopping weapons break into a house where only children are at home; the kids are forced to escape using an emergency plan. A pregnant woman drives dangerously in a car chase while trying to capture a "bad guy."

Sexual Content: After hearing water dripping, a pregnant woman, who is involved in a strenuous combat situation, says she hopes that’s her water breaking.

Language: Rude terms for throwing up and flatulence are used. One character says shitake mushrooms in a way that sounds like she is uttering a scatological term.

Drugs/Alcohol: None noted.

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Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World Parents' Guide

The father of this family is a television program host. Have you noticed how frequently careers in movies involve media and arts industries? Why do you think that area of employment is so popular?

If you could buy more time for your family, what would you do with it?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World movie is November 22, 2011. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Spy Kids: All The Time In The World

Release Date: 22 November 2011

Spy Kids: All The Time In The World releases to home video on November 22, 2011. The Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy package includes:

- Interview with Robert Rodriguez

- Spy Kids Passing the Torch

- Spy Gadgets

- Deleted Scenes

Related home video titles:

The three proceeding films in this franchise include: Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. Jessica Alba plays another super-resourceful heroine in The Fantastic Four. Alexa Vega can be seen in Follow the Stars Home. And Daryl Sabara lends his voice talents to characters in the computer animated A Christmas Carol, produced by Disney in 2009.