NEW YORK (OSV News) — Two double lives provide the context for some good one-liners in the generally enjoyable espionage comedy “Back in Action” (Netflix). Unfortunately, however, the quality of the humor flags as the film’s plot progresses and some of the material viewers encounter along the way makes this production an apt choice for grown-ups only.
Opening scenes set 15 years ago introduce us to dating CIA agents Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz). Shortly after Emily announces to Matt that she’s pregnant, the couple is involved in an operation that goes awry, leading to a plane crash in which they are both presumed dead.
Turning this mishap into an opportunity, Matt and Emily decide to drop out of their dangerous lives and raise their family in safety. Flash forward to the present day and the now long-married pair are focused on raising teen Alice (McKenna Roberts) and her younger brother, Leo (Rylan Jackson).
But the spouses’ adventurous past unexpectedly catches up with them, forcing them to embark on a new mission.
The screenplay, which director Seth Gordon co-wrote with Brendan O’Brien, reaps laughs from the contrast between the routine lifestyle Matt and Emily have been pursuing for a decade-and-a-half and the 007 world into which they are once again unwillingly plunged. This causes bewilderment for Alice and Leo, who only know their parents as ordinary suburbanites.
As circumstances lead to a reunion between Emily and her estranged mom, Ginny (Glenn Close), a veteran British spy, the jokes start to go stale. That’s especially the case when the gags relate to Ginny’s much younger, live-in boyfriend, aspiring MI6 operative Nigel (Jamie Demetriou).
Nigel’s bumbling ways prove less than amusing. So, too, does the script’s depiction of Ginny as a passionate cougar.
The onscreen mayhem, while bloodless, is sometimes intense. Together with a fair dose of dialogue unfit for youngsters, that makes “Back in Action” less than family-friendly, despite some positive underlying values. For their part, mature movie fans will find the picture mostly inoffensive but easily forgotten.
The film contains much stylized violence, including gunplay and harsh brawls, cohabitation, underage drinking, at least one instance each of profanity and rough language, frequent milder swearing, as well as some crude and crass language. The OSV News classification is A-III – adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.