Soundtrack Review: The Spy Next Door (2010)

The Spy Next Door Soundtrack Review: This is a review of the motion picture score The Spy Next Door by David Newman.

"David Newman's still got the energy to do it right"

The Spy Next Door is directed by Brian Levant and stars Jackie Chan as the former CIA spy Bob Ho who takes on his toughest assignment to date, looking after his girlfriend's three children. One of the kids accidentally downloads a top secret formula and before you know it, they have some angry Russian terrorists at their doorstep. You know the story, nothing new. If you have seen The Pacifier, you have seen this. Still Jackie Chan is quite funny and David Newman is on scoring duties. Needless to say, it's a comedy and a kids movie so you know what to expect. Has David Newman brought something new to the genre? Let's find out.

Track List

I've always enjoyed David Newman comedy scores, and there's a lot out there. Like John Debney he has made his own niche in the genre. His comedy scores are usually full of energy and I've had some great moments from the likes of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Little Monsters and Jingle All The Way. Of course this was a long time ago, and although recent releases have been well... lacking, I'm confident David Newman's still got the energy to do it right.

Not Your Typical Spy Movie Score

I was expecting some spy stuff, and I got it, but with a twist. It isn't your typical spy movie score, but as the first cue 'Bob Wakes Up' proves, it can be well mixed with a light comedy touch. What is featured in some of the cues is a James Bond inspired guitar, you know the one, the iconic riff from the James Bond theme. Nice touch and it blends well with the comical side of things. It's a fine mix between the two, but the cues that really excelled were the light dramatic ones like 'I Love You Bob', 'Bob's Childhood' and 'Goodbye to Bob'. Yes it's all about Bob, but Jackie Chan's character got the best cues. These aren't the action cues, but the emotional ones, the ones that makes you go all puppy-eyed and sigh "aaaaah..."

Emotionally, David Newman's score has something to offer, especially in the Bob cues I just mentioned. They work well outside of the movie and they kind of make me a bit misty eyed which is good. Emotions are what it's all about. The spy/action stuff isn't the most inspired, it's your standard action routine, but there are some great moments within those cues as well. It all ends very beautifully with 'Colt to the Rescue - Part 2' which is a great lighthearted drama/comedy theme.

Conclusion

I should also mention that I didn't like the way this CD was produced. For example in the first cue 'Bob Wakes Up' the cue breaks up several times with silence, and there are more cues like that one. Not a big fan of that and it occurs from time to time on this score. A rather small annoying point however, as there are lots of great moments in this score that make it very enjoyable. It does have lots of energy and serves the movie well. As comedy scores go, this isn't bad at all

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Listen to The Spy Next Door soundtrack by David Newman below: