Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Spy School is essentially a movie-length extrapolation of the expression, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive." The lead character, Thomas, is a mischievous liar, but eventually he learns a valuable lesson in truth telling. The movie also shows how and why it's better to value the friends who actually like you over classmates who are merely perceived as being "popular." There's some cartoonish violence, but, more troubling, there's also some bullying, including a scene in which a bully slams a door into the main character's arm, knocking him to the ground and leaving him with what he thinks is a broken arm. Parents should also know that despite the movie's title, this movie is not set in a spy school; the change from an earlier title (Doubting Thomas) seems like an attempt to lump this in with more successful movies like Spy Kids.
Sexual
Content
Some tween kissy-kissy flirtation.
Violence
Mostly cartoonish violence and pratfalls. Some bullying; a bully slams a metal door into the arm of the lead character, knocking him to the floor and making it seem that his arm is broken. A boy opens a metal case to find a gun inside. While crawling inside a ventilation shaft, two kids narrowly escape a gas fire that erupts behind them.
Language
Some name-calling from bullies along the order of "loser" and "jerk."
Social
Behavior
In its own way, this movie shows the consequences for a boy who is constantly making up elaborate stories to try and get out of trouble. The movie also discusses how the kind of person you are inside is more important than what you do for a living.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
An adult character smokes a cigar.
