If there is something that KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE proved, it is that there it potential for the teen spy movie. Seeing young people kick ass is something that Matthew Vaughn has proven in everything from KICK-ASS to X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. Unfortunately, BARELY LETHAL does not succeed in the same manner that Vaughn did. In fact, this movie seems more like a cross between MEAN GIRLS and SPY KIDS. The closest this movie gets to KINGSMAN is the inclusion of Samuel L. Jackson.
With a cast that includes Hailee Steinfeld, Jamie King, Sophie Turner, and Jessica Alba, you would expect a little more from BARELY LETHAL but instead we get what feels like a guaranteed VOD release. It could be a poorly cut trailer but this just does not look very good.
A teenage special ops agent coveting a normal adolescence fakes her own death and enrolls in a suburban high school. She quickly learns that surviving the treacherous waters of high school is more challenging than international espionage.
Hailee Steinfeld has had such a promising career since bursting onto the screen in TRUE GRIT that this feels like a step back for her. The release of the film will be sometime in April followed by a limited theatrical run, likely in an effort to cash in on Steinfeld’s appearance in PITCH PERFECT 2. But, I do not hold out much hope for this movie or the potential audience for it.