Is Netflix’s New Cameron Diaz Movie, ‘Back In Action,’ Worth Watching?

Netflix has released a new original movie that has immediately rocketed to #1 on the service. That would be Back in Action, an appropriately named spy thriller that marks the return of Cameron Diaz to acting for the first time since 2014’s Annie, Sex Tape and The Other Woman, the last year she made any film.

Unfortunately, it appears she may have not chosen the right project.

Back in Action has a dismal 24% on Rotten Tomatoes from dozens of critics, quite low even for often low-scoring Netflix original movies. The audience score is…better, a 64%, but in the context of usually-higher audience scores, that’s not amazing. Here’s the synopsis of the movie, which also stars Jamie Foxx:

“Former CIA spies Emily and Matt are pulled back into espionage after their secret identities are exposed.”

It’s a little hard to tell from that description but yes, this is an action-comedy, not just a straight spy thriller. It’s directed by Seth Gordon, who previously did Horrible Bosses, Identity Thief and Baywatch. Unlike Diaz he has been working since those movies (they were all almost a decade ago, or more), doing episodes of shows like The Night Agent, For All Mankind and The Good Doctor.

I was actually surprised to realize that Cameron Diaz has not acted since 2014. She has recently commented on this, and how much she loved being “retired.” From a Graham Norton interview:

“Oh my God, I loved it. It was the best 10 years of my life.” She said she was “just free” to be a wife and mother and have a more private life, and I think we can all respect that. She said she turned down roles until people just stopped asking over the last ten years.

What changed? Here’s her explanation:

“It’s just a privilege to do this. I thought to myself, if I just like, let this go away, all of this goodwill that I got to build over so much time, the passion that I have for entertaining people and making movies that make people smile and laugh and have a good time… if I don’t engage in that again… then I would be a fool.”

She also has another movie coming up, Apple TV+’s “black comedy” Outcome with Keanu Reeves and Jonah Hill, which will be directed by Hill.

So, Cameron Diaz is back in action for Back in Action, but it may not have been the role she should have picked, judging by the quality of the film.

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