Back in Action

15 years after leaving behind their careers as superspies by faking their deaths, Emily (Cameron Diaz) and Matt (Jamie Foxx) have started a family and now live a quiet suburban life with their teenage daughter Alice (McKenna Roberts) and young son Leo (Rylan Jackson) while dealing with parental challenges like teenage rebellion and screentime. After following their daughter to a late night rendezvous at a night club where they use their martial arts training against some aggressive young men, the two are visited by their former handler Chuck (Kyle Chandler) who warns them the video of their fight has gone viral and that both the CIA and arms dealer Gor (Robert Besta) will likely track them down in the hopes of acquiring the ICS, a digital weapon that Matt hid unbeknownst to Emily if in case they ever needed leverage and to keep it from falling in the wrong hands. After Chuck is killed the two flee with their children while dodging assassins and mercenaries as they head to England where the ICS is hidden with Emily's estranged mother Ginny (Glenn Close).

Back in Action is the latest star studded genre film from Netflix and comes to us from writers Seth Gordon and Brendan O'Brien the former of whom also directs. The film marks Foxx's fourth collaboration with the streamer following works like Project Power, Day Shift and they very enjoyable They Cloned Tyrone and also marks the first role for Cameron Diaz since 2014's Annie after the actress took a hiatus due to the travel demands of acting. Back in Action doesn't break any new ground when it comes to this kind of high concept action-comedy film, but despite being pure formula it is elevated by the strong chemistry and comedic timing of Foxx and Diaz.

Back in Action follows a similar framework you've seen with this type of format which can be traced back to things like True Lies from the 90s or Romancing the Stone and its various immitators of the 80s (like American Dreamer for instance). This kind of format has been used time and time again (This Means War, Killers, The Spy Who Dumped Me, Ghosted, etc.) and if you're familiar with the formula it's very much in play here. The opening sequence involving Emily and Matt infiltrating Gor's mansion to obtain the ICS is actually quite well done and features some good choreography even if the plane crash sequence maybe is a tad overdone. It helps that Diaz and Foxx do have really good chemistry with each other and it's a marked improvement from last year's Argylle that had terrible chemistry between its leads and an overly bloated runtime. The first act after the opening sequence is probably the weakest part of the film with some very on the nose "generation gap" humor with Alice and Leo two-dimensional Gen Z and Gen Alpha archetypes whose position is really only to react to the reveal of their parents superspy past without really being fully fleshed characters themselves and it's the kind of thing that feels very "sitcom" in its usage of awkward humor. Once the family is forced on the run it adheres pretty closely to the patterns of this kind of formula action comedy but there are some amusing moments especially with Glenn Close as Emily's mother and some good against type stunt casting where the prior roles associated with two actors help make a pretty obvious twist have more weight than you'd expect.

Back in Action is not a great movie but it's a decent rental especially when you consider prior spy films from last year like Canary Black and Argylle that didn't work at all. If this were a theatrical film, I'd say it's something you can rent and be reasonably entertained. Take that for what you will.

Diaz and Fox together with Glenn Close as Diaz's English mom, certainly make for a star studies cast, but that's prob where most people's reviews will stop. The film is not to be taken seriously and it's not going to win any awards, but it's a family, light hearted spy film that doesn't actually try to take itself seriously. The dialogue is corny at times and the acting is straight out of low budget action movies as is the plot, but if you want something to watch where you won't have to use any brain power whatsoever it's not that bad. There is enough action and stunts to keep the interest of most action movie officianardos, with Diaz and Fox playing two spies and obviously having martial arts skills. It does drop off a little around 3/4 the way through but picks up again towards the end. Decent enough watch.

This movie wasn't completely bad. Of course it's one of those predictable movies but that's what makes it watchable. It's good for when you want to watch something quick and easy but doesn't take too much of a toll on you mentally. It has the action, comedy, and family oriented plot. This will easily become a comfort movie. I enjoyed watching Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx as parents. I do wish the acting was a little bit better for the other cast members such as the extras and the people who were supposedly on the bad side. There were some parts that were cringe but that's to be expected in a movie such as this one. But I would recommend the movie if you want something cute, quick, and doesn't require too much concentration.

If you don't like super exaggerated action scenes just skip this one as that is exactly what you will get. I wouldn't say it's my favourite genre either but sometimes it passes if it's well made. And it is well made, with nicely choreographed fighting scenes, plenty of action scenes and decent acting. Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx work well together. Maybe it could have used more humour, that part was just average, but in the popcorn movie genre it works. Spies that can take out everybody, solve all the problems as it was the easiest thing to do, that you can only see in these kind of movies. In real life they both would be dead and buried.

Netflix delivers yet another star-studded cast: Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz are reason enough to hit play, and Andrew Scott, though appearing briefly, adds a touch of charm to the mix. However, even the brightest cast can't save a film when the script falls short - and here, it certainly does.

After watching, I was left with a strange sense of something missing. There's too little of everything: not enough jokes to make you laugh out loud, not enough action to keep you on the edge of your seat, and not enough intrigue to maintain interest. Netflix, which has recently been surprising us with quality projects like Carry On, seems to have taken a step back this time.

Is Back in Action the perfect choice for a cozy evening on the couch with some snacks? Absolutely. But will it be something you'll remember or want to revisit in the future? Definitely not. It's the kind of movie made to entertain you once - and that's it.

Verdict: If you're looking for a light film that doesn't demand much from you, Back in Action is a solid choice. But if you want something more memorable, you might want to check out a different title. Enjoy the show!