March 30, 2001

Robert Rodriguez, who has received his fair share of critical praise for violent, indie dramas in the past like El Mariachi, Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn, is getting his biggest applause to date for a family movie, Spy Kids. Elvis Mitchell in the New York Times remarks: "It sometimes seems to be more an adult treat than a kids' film. Then again, so did the old Bullwinkle show." Gary Thompson in the Philadelphia Daily News concludes: "This is a fun, energetic, clean-cut movie whose message _ that the most challenging mission is keeping a family together -- will resonate with parents and children alike." And the Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan thinks that Fox could have a franchise in the making here. After all, he writes, "If James Bond could inspire dozens of sequels, surely there ought to be at least one in the works for this intrepid gang."