A confession of “I’m pregnant” followed by an all-out champagne-smashing brawl is quite an unorthodox way to start an action-comedy film, but that’s exactly how the family spy movie “Back in Action” plays out. Directed by Seth Gordan and co-starring Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx, the film premiered on Netflix on Jan. 17. Unfortunately, the hype doesn’t last — reviews from critics were disastrous and harsh, with film critic Christy Lemire even stating the film is “firmly within the subgenre of glossy, globetrotting action pictures” paired with just long periods of plain old eye-rolling boredom. Even with Foxx and Diaz as members of its cast, the film fails to develop any humor to accompany its fast-paced action, as their attempt at incorporating adult jokes fails to entertain the audience.
The one hour and 54-minute action film wastes no time taking the audience into the story, with CIA agents Matt and Emily, acted by Foxx and Diaz respectively, infiltrating the home of former KGB agent Balthazzar Gor in an attempt to secure a key, a visually underwhelming chip that can supposedly control any electronic device. After a cheesy airplane escape paired with an even more stereotypical good guy vs. bad guy fight scene, the protagonists fake their deaths in a plane crash and go off the grid to raise their unborn baby.
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However, 15 years later, the two are dragged back into the drama after their anonymity is exposed during a bar altercation — it’s revealed that Chuck, a former friend, is working with Gor to take back the key. After a long parade of escaping and chasing the villains who took their children hostage, the story ends with the antagonist’s ship blowing up as disastrously as the movie’s rating, with the concluding scene as a corny close-up on Matt and Emily’s expressions after delivering another cliche plot twist. If the production crew wanted to showcase Netflix’s extensive $70 million budget, it only proved the reverse, with the cheap plot and lackluster characters appearing anything other than extravagant.
“Back in Action” does have a redeeming quality — it indeed lives up to the grandiose of its name — the fight scenes are maturely developed, with the camera capturing every second of Matt and Emily’s expertise as CIA agents. The punches, kicks and martial arts moves look especially impressive, credited to both actors extensive experience in the entertainment industry. The shots are also fast-paced, which lends itself to the film’s heart-pumping action as Matt and Emily escape peril in the nick of time. In a specific airplane scene where the fuselage of the airplane tears and begins to billow smoke, the chaotic whirlwind of debris disorients the viewers, and for once breaks the monotony of the multiple cliches already presented in the movie.
However, the film’s “comedy” portion is neglected and awkward at times, with Matt’s dad jokes somehow making the plot cheesier than a pot of fondue. The humor in “Back in Action” is a pathetic shadow of filmmaker and movie director Seth Gordon’s previous work with comedy movies — the jokes fail to deliver anything other than eye-squinting cringe. Despite Matt and Emily’s efforts to understand teenage humor in an attempt to connect with their kids, their jokes not only make their kids and the audience shudder but make the scene so uncomfortable that the actors themselves almost gag at their failed humor.
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On top of that, the film’s character development is practically nonexistent. Throughout the story, Matt and Emily’s motive stays the same — essentially, to “kick butt” and “protect the family.” The only character who changes is their 15-year-old daughter, Alice — who, after witnessing a series of traumatic events involving manslaughter, only learns to appreciate the efforts that her mother and father take to connect with her (do we need to experience this to connect with our families more?). Still, the film develops her growth in a single five-minute scene, where she overhears her mother and grandmother’s conversation about parenting and childhood and learns to let go of her more stereotypical teenage attitude. The scene is supposed to be touching and heartwarming, but fails to accomplish that, as her character’s growth is not only completely irrelevant to the story, but also feels like a cheap and desperate way for scriptwriters to shove some emotional depth into the film.
The lack of character development isn’t even the most atrocious aspect of the film. “Back in Action” also manages to mess up the romantic aspects of the movie. Matt and Emily often awkwardly bump their hips together to show affection or make painful adult jokes with their children, leaving the audience wondering how the two managed to get together in the first place. Without their children and occasional displays of petty jealousy towards other men from Matt, the two show zero attraction, giving a cold edge to an already emotionless movie.
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“Back in Action” is the epitome of cliche, overused action movies — without its fast-paced action and cinematography, it’s hard to find redeeming qualities of the film. The “action-comedy” portion of the film is only fulfilled halfway through, and despite recruiting cast members with backgrounds in comedy, no appreciable humorous moments are seen. Honestly, the scriptwriters only remember to throw their actors back into the action, and completely forget about all other aspects that make a movie great, making “Back in Action” a tired effort that only backs into the depths of old, forgotten films.
RATING: 2/5