Title: Back in Action
MPA Rating: PG-13
Director: Seth Gordon
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Kyle Chandler
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins

What It Is: Emily (Diaz) and Matt (Foxx) are spies. They’re also about to be parents. But during what was supposed to be their final mission, everything goes haywire. They vanish—never to work as spies again.

Now, they’re a family, settled down with two kids, living their best domestic life. But when Emily and Matt try to save their daughter from her own dumb mistakes, their peaceful existence is shattered. That unfinished mission? It’s coming back to haunt them.

What We Think: Seth Gordon has never made a feature film that I’ve enjoyed. With movies like Baywatch, Identity Thief, and Four Christmases, he’s had plenty of chances, but maybe films just aren’t his thing. His work on the small screen? Excellent. He’s a great comedy director for TV, but for whatever reason, that success doesn’t translate to features.

Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz are certainly doing things on screen, and it’s nice to see Diaz back in action. (See what I did there?) Anyway, the main issue here is the blah blah script—it does nothing but exactly what you expect. It’s only so-so funny, and Glenn Close steals every scene she’s in with her unabashed charisma.

Our Grade: C-, The kind of comedy you’ve come to expect from Netflix—fast-paced action, with narrative structure and humor thrown right out the window. A mediocre return to the big screen for Cameron Diaz, who has never been the strongest actress without solid material to carry her (and this definitely doesn’t).

Jamie Foxx is a great actor, which only highlights the utter neglect behind the camera. Basic-as-hell action direction. Unfunny jokes. There’s just not a whole lot here. That said, it’s competently made, and that’s about the only thing going for it. Outside of the amateurish writing, everything else is just… okay.