Although Hollywood is currently caught up in a horror love affair with spy stories, not every tryst will be satisfying. Back to Actionbrowsing the long-awaited Netflix spy that marks the return of Cameron Diaz to the screen, makes its best effort, drawing from all kinds of genres, but in the end it fails to find a definitive punch.
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BACK WITH ACTIONS ★★ (2/4 stars) |
The film comes courtesy of Seth Gordon, the filmmaker behind many great TV shows and a few less successful movies, including Identity again Baywatch. Gordon seems to be coming into his own in comedy Back to Actionthriller about two spies, Emily and Matt, who are forced to return to the game after retiring to start a family. Diaz and co-star Jamie Foxx have a real love for each other, often delivering lines with winking sarcasm and loveliness. But Back to Action it confuses its tone too much to be funny, which hurts the efforts of the lead actors.
The film opens 15 years before the events of the film with a great action set piece as Emily and Matt break into a party to steal a device known as the Key. They are led over the comms by their CIA boss Chuck (Kyle Chandler), who suddenly discovers that the pair have been sleeping together. The mission, of course, goes awry, leading to a horrific plane crash that somehow leaves Emily looking like she’s ready for Fashion Week. Instead of following protocol or giving up normally, newly pregnant Emily and Matt walk out of the disaster and start a new life under a false identity.
Flash forward to the suburbs, where Emily is now apparently selling custom Etsy puzzles. The couple has two children, Alice (McKenna Roberts) and Leo (Rylan Jackson), to whom they lie about their past, often unconvincingly. Alice also lies, including about her whereabouts on a particular night, leading Emily and Matt to confront her at a nightclub. Instead of just leaving with their 14-year-old daughter, who is completely underage, the two somehow get involved in an altercation with a group of fighting men. The video of this fight is circulated on the Internet and soon the CIA, MI6 and a group of criminals steal the key to realize that the two spies may be off duty.
The rest of the plot, from Gordon and his co-writer (Brendan O’Brien), is controversial. The family escapes to England, where Emily is apparently from, despite having an American accent and no British ways. The kids discover that their parents have strong fighting skills because of an argument at a gas station and eventually they all end up at the house of Emily’s mother Ginny (Glenn Close, who should hire a dialect coach the next time she tries to speak English. ) and her younger boyfriend Nigel (Jamie Demetriou). Ginny used to be a spy, too, and now she’s training the hapless Nigel in the arts of espionage, which seems to include throwing stars and finding bulletproof umbrellas. There’s also a side story about M16 agent Baron (Andrew Scott, I hope he got a good payoff for this) that isn’t really needed.
Like every spy show and movie on the screen these days, the climax is set in central London, set in motion by the River Thames after one of the characters reveals himself as a villain (gasp!). Even the kids bring their A-game to the battle, which takes place on a rocking boat, and Nigel gets to see his training come to fruition. But does the key work well and why does everyone want it? It’s unclear, though it does certain things during the film, including turning off the lights in the London skyline. That part of the story feels lazily written, which is unfortunate because both Diaz and Foxx are fun to watch as they punch, kick and shoot their way through these scenes.
At times, Back to Action it feels like a spy action movie. But for others, it is not clear what kind of movie it is. It’s a family reunion story, but it’s not a family film. It has moments that seem funny, but it’s not that funny. Finally a vehicle for two actors we really love and want to watch—a true reminder of how much Diaz has been missed on screen in his semi-retirement. Both are attractive, attractive movie stars, but Diaz in particular has an undeniable allure. Too bad his return isn’t something better written, although it’s nice to see him regardless. Next time, skip the overwritten plot and give it the rom-com it deserves.
‘Back In Action’ premieres on Netflix on January 17.
