BACK IN ACTION. Cameron Diaz Returns in Style [REVIEW]

It’s not often that a leading American actress steps away from the business for over a decade and then makes a comeback as boldly as Cameron Diaz is doing now. Absent from screens since 2014, the blonde star isn’t taking baby steps—she’s diving straight into the deep end. In Seth Gordon’s action-packed film Back in Action, she’s spying, fighting terrorists, and sharing the screen with top-tier actors like Jamie Foxx, Glenn Close, and Andrew Scott. Now that’s what you call a comeback!

Gordon’s latest film, from the creator of Baywatch and Horrible Bosses, tells the story of a pair of spies (played by Diaz and Foxx) whose shared missions lead to romance. We meet them during what turns out to be their final mission, where Emily reveals to Matt that she’s pregnant. On their way back from what seemed like a successful operation, they’re ambushed by Belarusian (or are they? More on that in a moment) terrorists and barely escape with their lives. They then decide that the spy life doesn’t mix well with parenthood, so they opt to disappear. A quick cut, and we’re transported fifteen years into the future, where the Reynolds family is living a peaceful suburban life in America. Predictably, this tranquility doesn’t last, as their past suddenly and painfully catches up with them. Can they protect their loved ones from danger?

The “former agent forced back into action to save their family” trope has been done dozens of times, and Back in Action doesn’t aim to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it plays by the book, so much so that viewers could almost tick off the genre’s tropes from a pre-prepared checklist. However, the film’s success lies not in its originality but in two other key elements: solid execution and the chemistry between its two leads, showcased brilliantly in their dialogue. While Emily and Matt aren’t exactly a couple consumed by wild passion, they make a great team, and their rapid-fire exchanges are often hilarious. Even though the humor isn’t particularly groundbreaking—there are plenty of jokes about generational differences and the clash between family life and spy adventures—it feels effortlessly natural. The chemistry between Diaz and Foxx is palpable, the kind that can be hard to achieve, as evidenced by another recent Netflix action flick, Day Shift.

Seth Gordon ensures that Back in Action maintains a brisk pace, delivering plenty of action scenes, from expertly choreographed chases to visually impressive fight sequences, where the leads perform admirably. Jamie Foxx, in particular, deserves immense credit, especially considering his recent health struggles following a serious brain hemorrhage. Of course, the film isn’t without its narrative flaws—such as the fact that the supposedly Belarusian terrorists speak… Polish, and poorly at that—but anyone choosing Gordon’s film for a casual watch likely isn’t expecting an intellectual masterpiece. The occasional plot missteps are offset by a generous dose of humor and solid production values, which is exactly what one should expect from an action-comedy.

While Back in Action might not be remembered a few months from now, it marks an undeniably successful return for Cameron Diaz to the world of big-budget cinema. It turns out acting is a bit like riding a bike—because the star of The Holiday and Knight and Day shows no signs of her decade-long hiatus. Fans of Diaz can rejoice, as it looks like she’ll be gracing screens again in the coming years. And for the average streaming viewer, the film delivers a solid action-comedy that avoids the cringe and disappointment that sometimes plague Netflix productions.