Back in Action parents guide

Back in Action Parent Guide

The one thing a spy movie can't be is boring. It's a low bar but this movie can't climb it.

Overall D

Netflix: Years after giving up life as CIA spies to start a family, two former spies find themselves dragged back into the world of espionage when their cover is blown.

Release date January 17, 2025

Violence C
Sexual Content A
Profanity C-
Substance Use C

Why is Back in Action rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Back in Action PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references and strong language, and brief teen partying

Run Time: 114 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Two of the CIA’s top agents, Emily (Cameron Diaz) and Matt (Jamie Foxx), are on a mission to protect a powerful cyberterrorism key when Emily discovers she’s pregnant. As the mission turns sour, the couple decide to fake their deaths so they can have a normal life. Fifteen years later, they’re living quietly in the suburbs with their kids Alice (McKenna Roberts) and Leo (Rylan Jackson) when their cover is unexpectedly blown. With MI6 and Belarusian terrorists on their trail, Emily and Matt need to find the key they hid all those years ago, get it back to the CIA - and do it all with their kids in tow.

“Spy with a family” is an incredibly overdone premise. I could have written this review without watching the film and been completely accurate. Every story beat is predictable and expected, permeating the movie with a boring familiarity. I started checking the clock about ten minutes in and proceeded to do so ever three to four minutes from then on. Spy flicks shouldn’t be boring, but this one sure is.

The film never seems to land on a tone, which doesn’t help the uneven pacing and tired screenplay. It can’t seem to decide if it wants to be a comedy or a violent action flick, instead oscillating between the two in a confusing mix of surprisingly graphic violence and stale jokes. The end result feels like a computer was fed a bunch of family spy movie scripts and asked to spit out a composite screenplay that carefully avoids any hint of originality.

What’s truly shocking to me is the high caliber of some of the cast attached to this generic script. There’s been a lot of buzz about Cameron Diaz’s return to the screen, but I personally don’t think she’s a good actor, and she doesn’t prove me wrong here. However, Andrew Scott is far too good a performer for this trash, as is Glenn Close. I’m not sure what Netflix did to get them on board, but I hope they had fun at the very least, since I don’t think this production will do much for their careers.

As mentioned, the violence is more graphic than I had expected for a PG-13 film, which sensitive audiences should note. On top of that you can add a fair amount of swearing and a brief scene of teen partying, making this a poor choice for most audiences. Not that it matters, since I don’t recommend the movie from a quality perspective anyway. Back in Action is doomed to make a swift fall to the bottom of the Netflix catalogue to fade into obscurity, where it belongs.

Directed by Seth Gordon. Starring Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, McKenna Roberts. Running time: 114 minutes. Theatrical release January 17, 2025. Updated

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Back in Action
Rating & Content Info

Why is Back in Action rated PG-13? Back in Action is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references and strong language, and brief teen partying

Violence: Spy action throughout. Characters are shot. Characters are involved in a plane crash, car chases, and motorcycle crashes. Characters fight hand to hand.
Sexual Content: One mild innuendo. Adult couples kiss.
Profanity: The script contains one sexual expletive, 22 mild and moderate profanities, and 14 uses of terms of deity.
Alcohol / Drug Use: Adults are seen drinking socially in some scenes. Underage teens sneak into a club and are seen partying and drinking.

 

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Fair Game is a real-life tale of an American CIA agent whose quiet suburban family life is upended when her identity is exposed in the press. In the Spy Kids franchise, Carmen and Juni are shocked to learn that their parents are spies: more unexpectedly, they wind up having to save them. Intrigue, espionage, and uncertain parentage are the key themes behind Abduction. When a retired spy’s daughter is kidnapped, he’s forced to go back in action in Legacy of Lies.