January is often viewed by those who track film releases as a doldrums period. Either theaters are filled with awards-hopefuls or the titles that studios/distributors dump in hopes of recouping some of their investment. Yes, this even applies to digital releases (VOD and digital) and streamers who want to break through to audiences potentially looking for some comfortable heat against what ails at the start of every new year. Enter director Seth Gordon’s (Horrible Bosses; Baywatch) latest action comedy Back in Action which stars Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained; Annie) and Cameron Diaz (Knight and Day; Annie) as former spies thrust back into espionage. On paper and in execution, there’s quite a bit that’s similar to another action comedy of similar structure, Spy Kids (2001), and that’s entirely a compliment as this grounded-yet-wacky adventure brings thrills and spills while simultaneously centering and empowering the key family dynamic. It’s comfortingly, dependably predictable, even with a few clever twists and turns, and, frankly, that’s exactly what’s needed right now.
L-R: Cameron Diaz as Emily and Jamie Foxx as Matt in BACK IN ACTION. Photo Courtesy of Netflix. © 2024 Netflix, Inc.
Fifteen years ago, they were elite spies, but today, Emily and Matt (Diaz and Foxx, respectively) are the parents who have traded international espionage for soccer games and two deceptive kids. All of this changes when unfinished business shows up on their doorstep and the life they’ve built collides with the one they left in a hail of gunfire and growing violence. In order to protect daughter Alice (McKenna Roberts) and son Leo (Rylan Jackson), the two must reenter the game, battling old foes while seeking out safe harbor with potential friends. When it was just the two of them, things were easy, now needing to keep their family intact in the process makes it a whole other level of tough.
L-R: Jamie Foxx as Matt and Cameron Diaz as Emily in BACK IN ACTION. Photo Courtesy of John Wilson/Netflix. © 2024 Netflix, Inc.
Co-written by Brendan O’Brien (Neighbors films; The House) and Gordon, Back in Action is exactly what you’d expect from these creatives: silly comedy, solid action, and just enough pathos to make the internal conflicts mean something when the external stakes rise. The closest comparison to a different Gordon project is his frequently silly Baywatch (2017) except without the slightly homophobic necrophilia or the self-referential beats. Otherwise, it’s got a cast of talented comedians/dramatists/action stars who understand that sincerity goes pretty far in making the hyperreal moments more fun, resulting in more of an ensemble production than a slanted, singular one. Diaz and Foxx have been co-stars several times with films like Any Given Sunday (1999) and Annie (2014), and each have had their shots as leads or co-leads of action films, sometimes doing the action and sometimes not; their versatility never a question so much as pointing out that both appear to lack ego. This translates to on-screen work between the two that infuses their characters so that their interactions feel honest and earned, neither one commanding more than the other; a true partnership wherein one trusts the other to take the lead at times and vice versa. This enables the choices that play out on screen to be far more believable, speaking as much to the subtext of Emily and Matt as incredibly skilled and trusting in one another, so that when action happens, if one takes the lead, there’s no argument, there’s just movement. With so much of Back in Action built upon their relationship, that the film includes several moments of traded leadership, of back-up provided without question, and general swapping of responsibilities (both parental and covert), one might forget that the film is *also* a family story. It follows the tried and true “out of touch parents” with “rebellious child(ren)” that creates a reasonable amount of tension before the truth comes out and then a different sort of tension when it does.
L-R: McKenna Roberts as Alice and Rylan Jackson as Leo in BACK IN ACTION. Photo Courtesy of Matt Towers/Netflix. © 2024 Netflix, Inc.
The family drama is the secondary component of the story, though it is no less central to the success of the overall adventure. By trying to make up for their own adolescent experiences (Emily’s difficult relationship with her mother, Matt’s lack of familial support), the two become the sort of parents who want to be in their kids’ lives and usually deal with it in the standard odd couple ways (the parents being one type and the kids being the other). When the comedy comes naturally and crosses genres (Emily pulling out binoculars to spy on Alice talking to her friends with a quippy “I got it off Amazon” when pressed about their origin or the acquisition of a wifi-connected device that will go out the window with a simple “Can I see that a second?”), it’s quite a bit of fun, the two conflicts intersecting in ways that fit within a family film individually and gain new meaning/intention when crossed with an action spy thriller. Thankfully, as their co-stars, Roberts (Barbie; Skyscraper) and Jackson (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) easily keep up with Diaz and Foxx, their performances matching the tone and intent as it ebbs and flows through the genre-hybrid. It’s not an easy balance to strike and it doesn’t always do so without extraordinarily obvious setup, but these four, and the others involved in the story, all understand the serious stakes can be handled with a wink.
L-R: Andrew Scott as Baron and Fola Evans-Akingbola as Wendy in BACK IN ACTION. Photo Courtesy of Matt Towers/Netflix. © 2024 Netflix, Inc.
The issue, if one were to call it that, is that the script is fairly obvious in how it’s going to handle things and, therefore, loses a little bit of its internal pressure in the process. The number of Chekov’s Gun-type moments that occur, aided by editing and camera focus to ensure the audience doesn’t miss any of them, mean that what feel like spontaneous and improvised moments by Matt and Emily are about as expected as when Q tells James Bond about the latest gadget MI6 developed, thereby calling the shot of its use much later in the film. Then there’s the setup at the conclusion of the action set piece that kicks off their absence from the spy world in which Emily and Matt discuss their familial issues, thereby creating the need to address them before the end of the film. These elements and others lack so much subtly that if Back in Action were a straight family dramedy, it would be undoubtedly forgettable. Thankfully, the action and the cast’s handling the narrative make the film worth tuning in for if for no other reason than while Foxx can still assuredly get it, the audience can understand the included (if overplayed a bit) subplot of Andrew Scott’s (Spectre; Fleabag) MI6 agent who pines after Emily (because Diaz still can, too). That these actors, with folks like Glenn Close (Mars Attacks!; Dangerous Liaisons) also supporting, all going all-in on the ridiculousness when it counts and being mellow when it matters, uplifts the predictability of the narrative into an arena of fun that’s much needed.
L-R: Glenn Close as Ginny, Jamie Demetriou as Nigel, Cameron Diaz as Emily, and Jamie Foxx as Matt in BACK IN ACTION. Photo Courtesy of John Wilson/Netflix. © 2024 Netflix, Inc.
Truth be told, there’s so much coming out at all times that it can be difficult to identify what’s worth your time and what’s not, especially in times like these where one side of the U.S. is still months-deep in recovery from one natural disaster and the other has just begun their recovery process while the fires continue to burn. Will a film like Back in Action make it all better? Absolutely not. But, for a brief period, due to its reliable construction and cast game to get silly, it’s a solid respite and impressively family-friendly with content likely suitable for audiences roughly the age of the characters (12+). The best part, you can make it a movie morning, movie afternoon, or movie night whenever you like from the comfort of wherever you are. It’s a small pleasure, but those are few and far between sometimes and we should take the wins where we can get them.
Available on Netflix January 17th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Netflix Back in Action webpage.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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