Hello everyone and welcome back to a brand new review! This time around we are going to be involved in some action with the latest big budget Netflix original, Back in Action (not to be confused with the Looney Tunes feature of the same name). That title is an appropriate one given that the most notable aspect of this film in the lead up to it was that it is the return of Cameron Diaz who has been retired from acting for more than a decade now. Ever since first appearing in The Mask back in 1994, she is someone who has appeared in a of variety films and was one of the few actresses who I would argue was a butts in seats draw, especially in the realm of studio comedies (There’s Something About Mary, Bad Teacher, The Holiday, etc.). Now she returns for this spy adventure alongside Jamie Foxx, who actually suffered a stroke during the making of this film. I’m a fan of both performers myself, so that was enough to get me at least a little intrigued in what otherwise looked like a typical Netflix action movie. Was it able to go beyond that designation? Let’s jump right in and see if this was worth coming out retirement for!
The film follows two CIA operatives, Matt and Emily, who both fall for each other while on the job. After completing a mission in which they much obtain a key known as the ICS that can control any electronic system, Emily reveals to Matt that she is pregnant, much to Matt’s happy surprise. That is soon short lived after their flight get hijacked and they lose the ICS. They then decide to go into hiding so that they can live normal lives, raising their child in peace. Fifteen years go by and they have two children named Leo and Alice. While they’ve enjoyed being parents, it seems both of their kids have proven to have a rebellious side to them. One night, when Matt and Emily catch Alice going out without their permission, they end up going viral on the internet, which leads to them being exposed for their enemies to track them down. Now they must go on the run with their unknowing children in tow, in order to protect themselves and figure out what is going on.
On paper the premise (parents living/who lived a secret double life from their kids) is very much one that has been done before numerous times with Spy Kids being the most notable one that comes to mind. That being said, it is one that can be a lot of fun with the right talent and with a solid execution. Unfortunately, Back in Action is fairly unremarkable in how it goes about tackling this kind of story. I’ll admit that it starts out decently enough with Seth Gordon trying his best to bring some energy to the proceedings, but things kind of settle into a lane of mediocrity. There are various cliches, an all important macguffin, and plot turns that one can see coming from a far and they aren’t even that developed or done in an interesting way. Most of the time, it feels like the film is just trying to get from point A to point B as it falls into a predictable rhythm of the characters going from an action scene to a scene of exposition to some attempted emotional beats and none of it fully registers.
I can see what Gordon and co-writer, Brendan O’Brien, were trying to do in regards to the themes being tackled in regards to family relationships and they shape people into becoming who they are, but it is all fairly standard stuff and is not really explored in a way that made the proceedings investing. I’ll admit that the script does have its moments with there being some amusing lines of dialogue that concern our leads trying to live normal lives and try and act like normal parents. Even when the family goes on the run, there are still some solid comedic moments here and there that did manage to get laugh every now and then. Plus, it is completely watchable in the sense that I never felt too annoyed at anything that was going on. Still, there just wasn’t anything that interesting enough to latch onto.
In regards to the filmmaking on display, I guess its fine but like a lot of these big Netflix would be blockbusters there really isn’t any sort of distinct style to it that makes it stand out. That being said, I would be lying if I were saying I didn’t find some enjoyment out of some of the action scenes. They are for the most part coherent and do help the movie come alive when necessary with a fight in a jet crashing into a mountain being one that stands out. There is some solid fight choreography and it was neat when Diaz and Foxx got to do their own stunts. There’s also a nice mix of solid hand to hand smackdowns and chase scenes in various vehicles and there are some clever bits of comedy thrown into some of them that got a chuckle or two out of me from time to time. That being said there are some sequences that suffer due to some really shoddy CGI that only helps in making the film look a lot cheaper than it probably was. Not helping is as the movie goes on, the action does get a little reliant on these special effects and there are times where it feels like it has been edited to bits.
What does end up carrying the film for me though is the pairing of Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx. It is nice to see the former again after so long and she brings the charm and energy that helped make her a favorite among many while the latter brings his usual charisma that he can bring in his sleep. They have solid chemistry with one another and are even able to make quite a few of the jokes land even if they aren’t exactly given the best material. By default, Matt and Emily’s relationship is probably the most engaging aspect of the film from a character standpoint as I can buy their love for each other and I appreciate how they for the most part enjoy being parents and only want to help and bond with their kids. There are some nice moments of them trying to interact with the kids that I thought came close to achieving the heart the film was going for. It only makes the underutilization of Leo (Rylan Jackson) and Alice (McKenna Roberts) all the more disappointing as they are really not given anything that compelling to do. There is an attempt to give Alice a promising arc of learning to appreciate her mom more, but that ends up underbaked, while Leo is not given much of anything to do beyond learn to be more social I guess (?). Jackson and Roberts are fine enough, but they can’t help in making the younger side of the family click all that much.
The rest of the cast is stacked with some pretty prolific actors and they have their moments even if the characters themselves may not be much. Glenn Close is easily the stand out as Emily’s mother, Ginny, as she manages to give the movie a nice jolt with a fun performance that combines the strictness of the character with some wit and heart for good measure. She easily manages to elevate the scenes she’s in and make the emotional beats involving her land a bit more than they otherwise would have. I wish the same could be said for her boyfriend, Nigel, whose played by award winning English comedian, Jamie Demetriou. I’m sure he is funny in other stuff and he tries his best here, but I did not find the character all that amusing with his “amateur spy who brags but is actually really inexperienced” schtick getting old really fast. Meanwhile Kyle Chandler manages to bring some of his natural charm as Chuck, a friend from the agency of Matt and Emily, but his character is very much surface level interesting in regards to motivation, but not fleshed out in the slightest mostly existing to spout exposition. Most disappointing is Andrew Scott, who I think is a talented actor, but is fairly flat here as Baron, an MI6 agent who used to date Emily. He just seemed to be phoning it in, with his direction not really matching the character with moments that are assumingly supposed to be funny not quite clicking in terms of delivery. Fola Evan-Akingbola was more successful in that regard as Baron’s partner, Wendy, but that subplot in general just did not do much for me.
In the end, Back in Action fails to stand out from other spy comedies of its ilk and just ends up being another star studded would be blockbuster from Netflix. It has its moments of charm here and there, some amusing moments, solid action, a couple of fun performances but the story is very by the numbers, a lot of aspects feel underdeveloped, the CGI looks shoddy, and the emotional beats just don’t land like they should. If your in the mood for something that’s watchable enough or just want to see Cameron Diaz again, then this might fill that itch, but honestly there are so many better options that accomplish the same goal. Still, I’m sure the viewership is huge and there is a blatant set up for a sequel at the end, meaning the people at Netflix would clearly like to make a franchise out of this (given how few big Netflix films end up getting follow ups the odds are 50/50). I guess it was nice see Diaz again in a movie after so long… I just hope whatever project she does next has a bit more to it.
Rating: C
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