It’s been over a decade since we last saw Cameron Diaz grace our screens. Bowing out with a planned retirement from the industry following 2014’s middlingly received musical Annie, Diaz has been lured back to do what she does best, reuniting with Annie cohort Jamie Foxx for Back In Action, a fittingly titled comedic actioner (two genres that so often fared well for the inclined actress) that begs the question as to why it was this film that she deemed worthy enough to devote her time to after such a hiatus.
Her comedic timing and physicality have been missed, and something like Back In Action, with its easy narrative and potential for bombastic action and situational humour, seems like the perfect project to utilise her talents. And, occasionally, across the film’s 114 minutes, the Seth Gordon–Brendan O’Brien-penned script appears as if it might give both Diaz and Foxx, equally capable in the action and comedy space, something of substance.
Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, Back In Action fails to rise above the type of superficial Netflix sheen it’s laced with, with the opening action sequence – an on-paper-sounding expansive set piece involving a gradually corroding plane falling from the sky – appearing too glossy and shallow to achieve its desired effect. Just why Diaz and Foxx’s characters – Emily and Matt – are in such an action predicament is because the duo are spies, and they’ve been handed the type of MacGuffin that so many action films involve, that of something known as “The Key”, an apparatus that can digitally manipulate any aspect of the world’s infrastructure. They don’t want it falling into the wrong hands (of course), so there’s only so many people they can trust, and despite Kyle Chandler and Andrew Scott appearing as a duo of their handlers, they’re weary of their loyalty.
Emily and Matt aren’t above breaking protocol either, as the two, who are meant to simply be professional partners, have fallen in love and, ahead of the aforementioned plane crash (which comes to fruition due to “The Key” already earning its interest from villainous parties), have learnt they are expecting. Fast forward 15 years, and the two have retired and settled into the suburban life, with Matt making good as his daughter’s soccer coach and Emily selling knick knacks on Etsy. It’s all so mundane and “normal” that we know something is going to bring them out of their cul-de-sac funk.
There’s nothing wrong with the premise that Gordon (Horrible Bosses, Baywatch) and O’Brien (Bad Neighbours, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates) have conducted, and as formulaic as it all seems, formulas are so often utilised and there to be built upon. But if you don’t have strength in your numbers, no matter the reliability of your talent – in addition to Diaz, Foxx, Chandler and Scott (though the latter feels like he’d rather be anywhere else), Glenn Close pops up in a late-game support role that admittedly gives proceedings some spark – some skeletons just aren’t able to strengthen their bones.
Emily and Matt’s kids coming along for the adventure similarly doesn’t inject any emotionality or overt humour into the story either, with the duo (McKenna Roberts as their rebellious daughter Alice, and Rylan Jackson as their tech-savvy tween Leo) never really reacting as extremely as people might when they learn that their supposedly straight-laced parents can render assailants unconscious with minimal effort. Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan treaded similar territory in the Apple TV+ vehicle The Family Plan in 2023 – right down to the “let’s take the family on a safety mission under the guise of a holiday” trope – and though Gordon is arguably working with better material, the idea that so many streaming titles are ultimate fodder to be “consumed” in the background as people scroll on their phones is tragically strengthened with something like Back In Action that lays out exposition at an insulting rate.
Undemanding audiences won’t take issue with Back In Action‘s simplicity, but those that care about filmic quality and are all too aware of just how well action and comedy can be merged – not to mention Diaz fans who have been waiting to see her presence on screen again – are sure to find this wannabe blockbuster little more than an extended commercial for the tragic “demographic” mentality. On the mention of Diaz, such is her charm and inherent likeability that she elevates Back In Action as much as she can. She’s, quite simply, delightful and a reminder of what it is to truly be a movie star. The ease of the movie and her involvement is enough to score it a few streaming minutes, but all it really does is leave us wanting a bigger, better movie that’s worthy of her involvement.
We missed you Miss Diaz. Now that you’re back in action, can you stick around to show the kids how it’s done?
TWO AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Back In Action is now streaming on Netflix.
