Movie Review: Spy x Family: Code: White

Yes, that made for a lot of colons in the title.

This will not be a detailed review of Spy x Family: Code: White. Imagine mashing Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Spy Kids. The father, Loid, is actually Agent Twilight. The mother, Yor, is actually the assassin Thorn Princess. Neither knows the other’s true identity. They go by the family name Forger. Anya is their pretend daughter, who was actually an orphan. But Anya is secretly a telepath, so she knows her parents’ true identities.

The story starts out in a fairly credible manner. Anya needs to make a dessert as a school assignment. Loid has inside information that the principal likes what looks like a meringue, so they go on a trip to a restaurant in the town the principal was from.

Then everything turns into kooky fun. Anya accidentally swallows a chocolate that contains something crucial for Cold War-esque tensions, and it’s off we go. It alternates between serious and childish scenes, but there is never a dull moment.

The background seems to be an alternate Europe, with much of the plot taking place in what looks like an alternate Switzerland. The story is pre-cell phone: There is even an old-style rotary phone in one scene.

Spy x Family: Code: White (the x is silent) is rated PG-13 for violence and occasional foul language. There is also an extended “poop god” dream that would be unimaginable in an American-made film, but is run-of-the-mill in Japan.