It's probably too early to say that Netflix is ​​finally starting to find its groove with mainstream popcorn features, but then Rebel Ridge and continue Providing muscular B-movie entertainment, return to action offers similar retro fun, albeit in a family-friendly comedy style. Seth Gordon is more of a journeyman than Jeremy Saulnier or Jaume Collet-Serra, the latter of whom has been a consistent presence of late Genre-savvy directors among partners. But he gets the job done and keeps it running, in part by adding enough vehicular chases and physical conflict to the action to power three movies. The more important factor, however, is the reunion of Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, their romantic leads and nimble fighting skills, respectively.

The two actors first worked together in Oliver Stone's 1999 sports drama any given Sunday And then in 2014's regrettable remake of the film's musical score, Anne. Diaz had since retired from acting to focus on her family until Fox lured her back into the project, her first film in 11 years. Their dynamic chemistry and ease with their characters' wits are a reminder of what effortlessly charming screen performers they are.

The film was a return of sorts for Foxx, who was hospitalized in Atlanta at the end of filming due to an undisclosed medical emergency. He later revealed in a 2023 Netflix special Jamie Foxx: What happened… He suffered a life-threatening stroke and required months of physical therapy to relearn basic motor skills. Fans of both actors should be happy to see them again, not only for the banter, but also for the fact that they did most of the stunts themselves.

The pedigree of the stars also reinforces the 90s/80s vibe return to actionit's almost like a mashup true lies, Mr and Mrs Smith and spy boywith a little Mission: Impossible. Diaz, in action mode, inevitably recalls her ebullience in the first and best film. charlie's angels The big screen is back. Originality is not the strongest point of the script from director Gordon (who has worked with Fox). terrible boss) and Brendan O'Brien (Neighbor, Mike and Dave need a wedding date). But the familiarity of the material makes it a delightful comfort food.

Movies like this - starry, frothy, cute, harmless - used to hit theaters all the time. As studios sharpen their focus on high-grossing franchises, their share of the post-Marvel era is shrinking. If this were the streaming universe's attempt to fill that void, using star talent to distract from the often ridiculous plot and grading it with overqualified supporting characters, we could be doing a lot worse.

In an action-packed opening shot, Gordon winks at a James Bond model and introduces Matt (Fox) and Emily (Diaz), undercover CIA agents from 15 years ago, Not long after their relationship began, Emily discovered she was pregnant.

Agency head Chuck (Kyle Chandler) sends them to crack the safe of Eastern European terrorist Balthazar Gore (Robert Best) and obtain a universal weapon capable of crashing or controlling any system in the world key. When the alarm is triggered, Matt and Emily are unarmed, and in what becomes a running theme, the two must improvise, using whatever objects are at hand and their impressive fists and footwork to fight off the gore. thugs.

Soon after Matt learns he's going to be a dad, they survive a fatal attack, a plane crash and a nosedive in the snow-covered Alps. He suggests it's time for them to quit the spy game and go off the grid, their presumed deaths in their latest close call providing them with the perfect cover. Cue main title card.

Jump to the present, and Matt and Emily are living an ordinary family life, raising two children - 14-year-old Alice (McKenna Roberts) and her 11-year-old brother Leigh - in a tidy suburb. O (played by Rylan Jackson). An unnamed American city.

Emily becomes frustrated with Alice's growing hostility toward her, and begins to suspect that she lied about her evening study sessions at a friend's house. This prompts both parents to resort to old spy tactics, leading to a hilariously chaotic intervention in which their spontaneous villainy frightens their mortified daughter. Matt tried to shake off her question about their fitness: "We had a few kickboxing classes."

Matt and Emily's identities are revealed when one of Alice's friends posts a video of the incident online. Chuck shows up on their doorstep, revealing that the master key was never recovered from the crash site, and if he can find them so easily, it won't be long before Gore's team of goons do the same.

Dodging bullets and a squad of killers in a high-speed chase through the suburbs, they get a completely confused Alice and Leo out of school and onto a flight to London. But they won't be out of sight for long. Gore's mercenaries soon catch up with them, as well as MI6, led by Barron (Andrew Scott), a cunning man who has long been obsessed with Emily, despite years of The first date before was not successful.

One of the standout scenes takes place at a gas station outside London, where Alice and Leo watch in stunned silence through the restaurant window as their family take down a team of heavily armed assassins. Matt's creative use of the gas pump was a nice touch, as was the earlier use of a bottle of Diet Coke and a tube of Mentos as weapons. But there's only so much the kids can witness before Matt and Emily are forced to come clean about their international espionage credentials.

For strategic plot reasons, the family travels to the gated country estate of Emily's British mother, Ginny (Glenn Close), where she finally meets her grandchildren. Observing the aloofness between Ginny (later described as "the legendary MI6 virgin boss") and Emily taught Alice about her mother's overprotectiveness.

The emergence of Ginny and her young lover Nigel (Jamie Demetriou), an overeager but incompetent wannabe spy who humors her with false encouragement, turns the comedy Pushed into sillier, more over-the-top territory. (Cross, who also does the fight scenes herself, leans heavily into the sassy brash style she could audition for 103 Dalmatians; Demetrio is acting in a pretty big British sitcom. )

But they're lovely and serve a purpose - they provide a perfect setting for the siege as the family is tracked down, and then when the action shifts first to a formal event at Tate Modern and then to a climactic chase across the Thames , they proved useful. Boats and motorcycles. As all this unfolds, not one but two key characters are revealed to be who they appear to be.

Of course, all the espionage and threats to the world order are in large part an attempt to bring the family closer together and make the kids (both of whom are excellent) take a new look at parents they consider extremely uncool. Alice and Leo also display a gumption that suggests espionage is innate. This movie won't take its place in the classic action comedy canon, but it's easy to digest, which isn't a bad thing.