steven-leibson

Yup, a movie about retired spies has been done. Yep, a movie about spies who've had kids has been done. "Back in Action" is formulaic, and fun. If you're looking for deep insight into covert operations, this isn't your movie. If you're looking for meaty Bondian action with cynical, pampered American teenage kids as a condiment, this is your movie. Plenty of nearly bloodless fight scenes where the good and bad guys take far more punishment than the human body can endure and keep coming back for more. A McGuffin straight out of a Bond film that is the key to sabotaging the world's infrastructure. Foxx and Diaz are fully up to their action roles and Glenn Close.shows up as a retired, badass MI6 "girlboss" (Please, we're British). Yes, it makes no sense, but what spy film in the Bondian-type movie universe does? A popcorn movie for nights when you want to turn off your brain.

This is the sort of movie I've tried to forget for 50 years. The Peter Jackson's new "The Beatles: Get Back" documentary on Netflix reminded me of it, because it's going to be shot in the same location (Twickenham Studios) immediately following the time when the Beatles were being filmed. So I showed my wife the 3-minute trailer for this movie, which you can find on YouTube. Think of a an overly long, very unfunny Monty Python episode and you have pictured this movie exactly. It was a bomb in 1971 and, 50 years later, it still is, despite the number of big-name actors in the cast and cameos.

This film takes you into the realm of senior living. It's a feel-good film and it's a lot of fun. We all hope to grow old comfortably, in pleasant surroundings, with great food. We also hope that if we're afflicted with cervical cancer, Alzheimers, or a stroke, that they're just minor inconveniences as portrayed in this film. In other words, this film is a light way to spend a couple of pleasant hours watching our futures as we hope they'll unfold.