We saw a trailer for Back in Action a little while ago. It was mainly focused on Cameron Diaz being back in the movies. It’s such a shame she returned for this garbage.
Back in Action stars Diaz, Jamie Foxx, McKenna Roberts, Rylan Jackson, Kyle Chandler, Andrew Scott, Jamie Demetriou and Glenn Close. Seth Gordon is writer/director, with Brendan O’Brien co-writing.
The Story
Standard affair:
Former CIA spies Emily and Matt are pulled back into espionage after their secret identities are exposed.
Off the top of my head, there was The Spy Next Door, The Pacifier, My Spy and didn’t Hulk Hogan do one? All the same kind of movie, as I said, it’s a standard plot and story.
We opened 15 years ago, Matt (Foxx) and Emily (Diaz) are top spies trying to track down a ‘key’ that can basically do anything bad. #original They steal the key, almost get away but end up in a plane crash.
Before the CGI crash, Emily tells Matt she’s pregnant and he’s the father. After the crash, they figure everyone thinks they are dead, so they go into hiding and lead a normal life, with kids, soccer practice, and school runs.
Their daughter goes out one evening to a nightclub. They find her, beat everyone up and it gets leaked online. The bad guys still need the key, so Matt and Emily have to go on the run with the kids to get the key and clear their names.
There’s no point in breaking the rest of the story down, it’s a paint-by-numbers kind of movie that everyone could make with their eyes shut. There’s over-the-top CG, the kids hate their parents, but by the end, they love them, and Glenn Close is the mum, who’s also a spy from a previous life.
The Cast
I do love Diaz, she is still hotter than a roasted potato straight from the oven. She’s got a very likable quality about her, like a girl next door. In Back in Action, she is back, as her lovable self, but she’s also kickass, super tough, and can beat up guys twice her size. #brave
I like Foxx as well, he always plays a cool character and seems like a cool guy. The two of them work well on screen, but it’s not enough to hold your attention for more than 2 hours, which is how long this movie is.
I didn’t know that Close was playing the mum until she turned up on screen. Again, she does the job and has a decent British accent. There are twists and turns with the other members of the cast, but again, it’s all very obviously done.
Overall
Back in Action has some half-decent set pieces, but far too much CG, which always takes the edge off. The action is pretty good, but I didn’t think it was all that well-directed to be honest. The tone was an issue as well.
If you compare this to something like My Spy or The Spy Next Door, they are family-friendly movies to keep the kids quiet for an hour or two. Back in Action had fun moments for the kids, then someone would get a bullet to the head and splatter of blood. It wasn’t overly graphic, but it wasn’t in the same tone.
As this movie goes on on, it really starts to drag. I found myself checking the time and there was still 30 minutes left. At this point, I was picking up my phone to see if X was still called Twitter or not.
There is a moment, near the end, where the bad guy is trying to get away down the Thames. This ‘key’ thing has opened a dam and he’s about to get away. No, it’s OK, the toyboy of Close’s character manages to override the ‘key’ and close the dam. How? Don’t know, he just does.
Back in Action might have been a decent movie with the kids, or if you’re drunk, or both. Personally, I thought it was a waste of my time, and we know what a time waster I usually am. Don’t bother. It got 1 star because some of it was shot in London and I recognized the sights.
