Initially set for a late 2024 release, Back in Action is set to debut on the Netflix platform this weekend. Cameron Diaz comes out of retirement from acting to join Jamie Foxx in a spy action comedy film. The film is simply about former CIA spies, Emily (Diaz) and Matt (Foxx), who are pulled back into espionage after their secret identities are exposed. The fact that Diaz was coming out of retirement sounded really exciting. Foxx has mentioned that he convinced her to come out of retirement just to have fun… and that’s exactly what this film sets out to do.

As much as I wanted to like this film, there are movies that are not meant for critics. Sure, it’s nice to have fun and turn your brain off. The film’s glaring problem out of all the problems it has is the fact that it is past its prime. It feels like what a mid-life crisis must feel like. It’s trying so hard to capture the glory days of mediocre movies that were simply fun. Between recycled plot lines, predictable actions & dialogue, and noticeably bad effects. Even though the film has 2 writers credited to the project, there was a total of 17 additional people who also contributed to the script. That’s insane, and the film shows it.

It’s great to see Diaz back on screen again. It’s clear she is having fun, and I am glad she was able to since that’s why she came out of retirement. Having her be in a relationship with Foxx allows the two to work perfectly together. It’s clear they have undeniable chemistry. The problems the film has I do not put on them. At the end of the day, they are there to speak the dialogue and act the parts that were given to them. If a friend wanted to watch this, I honestly wouldn’t mind watching it with them. It’s the exact type of film to not take seriously with your friends. I am just glad Netflix exists. If this went to theaters, this would have bombed HARD.

The film boasts an impressive supporting cast that includes Andrew Scott, Kyle Chandler, and Glenn Close. That’s a winning cast! Unfortunately, they are all in a separate movie whenever they are on screen. If I were to tell you this was directed by the same guy who did Horrible Bosses, that would set the tone for a good time. If I told you after it was also directed by the same guy who did Baywatch (2017), it would all make sense. The film is overly ambitious for its own good with a nice cast to disguise just how bad the direction and script is.

The film starts off as the equivalent of a James Bond film. The script is ridiculous that the cast manages to make it somewhat entertaining. There is a prologue set 15 years in the past before Diaz and Foxx’s characters has kids. There is a terribly edited and shot action scene in a flying plane. When we glimpses of the plane from the outside, it looks like it is still rendering from the computer. I can’t even imagine what the budget was for this. For context, this film wrapped in April of 2023. That’s almost 2 years where the film could have used more time to clean up the editing and the effects. Since the film was shot with body doubles while Foxx was in the hospital, it’s clear no one really cared nor what to do with this movie.

Fast forward to present day and we see the couple acting cringier than ever. They have 2 kids who behave just as about as what you would think for a film like this. The older teenage daughter has attitude problems and is somehow able to get into bars. The younger son has awkward dialogue that is meant to be important to the story later. The kids offer nothing new that hasn’t been done before. I think they were only added to make it make sense for this couple at this age. Nothing against the kids who actually played the characters, but the story would have been far better if it focused primarily on the two main characters. The more I think about it, I think this film was solely made out of test groups of people who wanted different things, resulting in a random mess.

The film lingers on for the rest of its runtime. It wastes its cast and uses outdated twists that are infuriating to witness. I am trying to stay away from spoilers here in case anyone is still interested in watching it. There are just certain aspects of the plot that occur with the side characters that are redundant and wasted. Characters overcomplicate certain situations that make no sense. With a near 2-hour runtime, you can only imagine how this film feels like it goes on and on. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but when you have a cast like this, this should have been at least fun.

Overall, if you are looking to watch something with a group of people, need something playing in the background, or simply don’t mind a mindless movie with a charming cast, I suppose you could do much worse. The film has so much potential though that could have made it a lot of fun. Instead, I was ready for the film to end halfway through. I hope everyone in front of the camera has a quick bounce back, and I hope Diaz had fun, even if it meant I didn’t have fun.

VERDICT: 1.5/5 (Very Bad)