Friday, February 7, 2025

“BACK IN ACTION”

THE STORY – Former CIA spies Emily and Matt are pulled back into espionage after their secret identities are exposed.

THE CAST – Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Andrew Scott, Jamie Demetriou, Kyle Chandler & Glenn Close

THE TEAM – Seth Gordon (Director/Writer) & Brendan O’Brien (Writer)

THE RUNNING TIME – 114 Minutes


It’s wild to think that Cameron Diaz has been absent from film for a decade now. At one point she was everywhere, a mainstay in 2000’s filmmaking whether it was voicing Princess Fiona in the “Shrek” franchise or acting in star-studded studio comedies. Now after all this time, it makes sense to jump right back into a genre she’s clearly more than familiar with, the beloved action-comedy. “Back in Action” seems like an interesting springboard for this next phase of her career, especially as a project that for Diaz feels like the film equivalent of testing the temperature of the pool to see where things are at. Unfortunately “Back in Action” is reminiscent of some of Diaz’s weakest endeavors even when she has someone as talented as Jamie Foxx right by her side. 

In “Back in Action,” CIA agents Emily and Matt (played by Diaz and Foxx) have lived adventurous lives. Their daring missions have spanned the globe, but after learning that she’s pregnant, they both agree that this life isn’t the best way to raise a family. After a horridly choreographed action sequence involving a plane crashing down an obviously green-screened mountain, Emily and Matt, now presumed dead to the world have the opportunity to have a fresh start. Fifteen years later, domestic life very much suits them both, or at least one of them. Matt seems content whether he’s teaching his tech-savvy son Leo (played by Rylan Jackson) to fib or coaching his daughter’s soccer team. Emily on the other hand struggles with domesticity as she finds it difficult to connect with Alice (played by McKenna Roberts) and is stuck in a rut some mothers find themselves at a certain point in their life. So when a familiar face from their past life warns them that their cover has been blown, Matt and Emily go on the run with their kids to clear their name and get themselves out of the hole they put themselves in. If it any way that sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen this exact Netflix feature before in various forms.

Gordon and Brendan O’Brien’s screenplay is as generic as they come, feeling like a Mad Libs of action comedies assembled by an AI generator. We all know how a film of this genre will transpire, yet it still occurs in the most uninspired fashion. Everything comes off as tedious from the video game-like plotting that pushes these characters throughout the story to the resolutions of certain character beats, mainly Emily’s relationships with her daughter and estranged spy mother (played by Glenn Close rocking a British accent). Most of the jokes simply don’t land or have incredibly humorless punchlines. Foxx and Diaz’s simple reactions or ad-libs occasionally bring out the only laughs in “Back in Action” yet it doesn’t help when the two movie-star leads of the film who are supposed to anchor the project feel like they’re on opposite ends. 

The first hour of “Back in Action” hinges on the chemistry of Diaz and Foxx which from the start is noticeably non-existent, not that the two actors don’t attempt to try. The pair just scrambles to sell what supposedly makes their partnership so strong, whether romantically or as espionage agents. Foxx, who’s somewhat sleepwalking through his role still exudes a level of charisma most performers wish they could inhabit. While his role mainly boils down to being a cool dad who was a spy, he’s still able to get in a good line reading or two. Diaz also attempts to let loose a little trying to tap into her comedic abilities that helped make her the star that she is. There are flashes when the pair show some liveliness but it feels squandered. Diaz is mainly here to deliver most of the dramatic heft in “Back in Action” when she’s not fighting nameless goons. Sure, it’s a good feeling to see Diaz back in her action grind set and to feel that warm nostalgic feeling of the “Charlie’s Angels” days but then you see how the action plays out and that feeling fades away instantly. No one in the ensemble makes an impact and that’s saying something when Andrew Scott, Kyle Chandler, Jamie Demetriou, and, as mentioned earlier, Glenn Close. At least it feels like Close understands what movie she signed up to be a part of.  

It’s honestly impressive that every action sequence in “Back in Action” might be some of the most unmemorable action put on camera in recent memory. Gordon’s lack of ability to stage solid action that is assembled through the integration of slow-motion, obligatory drone shots, and momentum-killing edits makes the action of this action-comedy hard to see through. Gordon who recently did some solid work on the hit Netflix series “The Night Agent” wasn’t able to translate anything of what made the set pieces in that show so special into any of the action in this project. Watching “Back in Action” made me wonder why Diaz stepped out of her decade-long retirement from acting for an action comedy this stagnant in both the spectacle (which there are plenty of attempts at creating) and as a comedic endeavor.

THE RECAP

THE GOOD - Occasionally Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz can elicit a few chuckles, mainly Foxx who as always is just naturally charismatic.

THE BAD - “Back in Action” is a dull action-comedy lacking in creating action that is at least entertaining or jokes that could actually elicit laughs. It comes off as a carbon copy of previous films of this genre generated by the streaming age.

THE OSCAR PROSPECTS - None

THE FINAL SCORE - 3/10

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Giovanni Lago
Giovanni Lago
Devoted believer in all things cinema and television. Awards Season obsessive and aspiring filmmaker.

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<b>THE GOOD - </b>Occasionally Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz can elicit a few chuckles, mainly Foxx who as always is just naturally charismatic.<br><br> <b>THE BAD - </b>“Back in Action” is a dull action-comedy lacking in creating action that is at least entertaining or jokes that could actually elicit laughs. It comes off as a carbon copy of previous films of this genre generated by the streaming age.<br><br> <b>THE OSCAR PROSPECTS - </b>None<br><br> <b>THE FINAL SCORE - </b>3/10<br><br>"BACK IN ACTION"