New year, new streaming movies to watch from the comfort of home. Back in Action is Netflix’s first big release of 2025, with a premise based on a simple espionage concept in which the protagonists, Matt and Emily, played by Jamie Foxx (They Cloned Tyrone) and Cameron Diaz (Charlie’s Angels), respectively — marking the actress’ return to the big screen ten years after her last performance — find their secret identities exposed, putting their lives in danger.
Directed by Seth Gordon (Baywatch) and written by Gordon himself and Brendan O’Brien (The House), expectations weren’t particularly high, with hopes for a couple of enjoyable hours resting solely on the lead actors’ chemistry. Unfortunately, the year doesn’t start on the right foot, as Back in Action is potentially one of the worst films of the next twelve months. The cast tries their best, but the forced, cheesy dialogue causes plenty of eye rolls throughout the nearly two (long) hours of runtime.
It’s tough to write this, but it’s incredibly disappointing to witness Diaz’s highly anticipated return to Hollywood… only to star in something as banal, forgettable, and disastrous as this extremely formulaic flick. Apart from a few humorous moments and some well-choreographed action sequences and stunts, it isn’t easy to find any other redeeming qualities.
Back in Action Review
On a technical level, the green screen is glaringly obvious in nearly every action scene, and the bold musical choices don’t always work to complement the many fight scenes and car chases. The makeup department also deserves criticism for the excessive use of beauty products on the actors’ faces, especially after set pieces where they go through explosions, shootouts, avalanches, and even plane crashes, only to emerge looking like they just stepped out of a salon, further adding to the fake environment surrounding Back in Action.
Narratively, Gordon and O’Brien’s script is little more than a cheap copy of many other spy movies, where the protagonists decide to leave their jobs behind in an attempt to lead a peaceful civilian life, only for danger to inevitably resurface. Back in Action is riddled with unnecessary characters and subplots that only serve to complicate a story that should have been straightforward, creating countless logical holes so evident that they’re genuinely hard to ignore. The pinnacle of this issue comes in the final seconds, where an embarrassing attempt to leave room for a sequel opens up a ridiculous array of narrative inconsistencies that will leave audiences shaking their heads.
Frankly, not even the performances can save Back in Action. Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers), Kyle Chandler (Godzilla vs. Kong), and Glenn Close (The Wife) are predictably underused, despite their efforts to bring some charm to the film. With such a star-studded cast, it’s a shame that the script is so poorly written, and the characters lack depth or meaningful arcs. Foxx and Diaz share a few amusing moments, but the overall writing rarely allows them to shine as a duo. Instead, their dynamic is diluted by predictable dialogues and scenes that try to force emotions but fail due to their superficiality.
In the end, Back in Action fails even at its primary goal: to entertain. Instead of being a roller coaster of adrenaline and laughs, the movie turns into a boring, frustrating experience. It becomes challenging to justify the existence of a project that feels soulless and purposeless. Moreover, the biggest consequence lies in Netflix’s struggle to overcome the negative connotation associated with the term “Netflix flick” these days, despite several notable exceptions.
Is Back in Action worth watching?
Back in Action would have been more appropriately titled Out of Action. Seth Gordon fails to strike the necessary balance between action, humor, and emotion to stand out in the genre, delivering a highly forgettable, formulaic piece. Cameron Diaz’s return is squandered in a movie that fails to showcase her talent or that of the star-studded cast. The film not only struggles to justify its runtime but also leaves viewers feeling like they have watched something generic and devoid of identity, where only the stunt department earns praise. For the start of a new cinematic year, this is a misstep I sincerely hope doesn’t set the tone for what’s to come.
Back in Action releases on Netflix on January 17.
Back in Action Review — A Formulaic Misfire That Wastes Cameron Diaz’s Comeback
