Joining a long list of action-comedy films on is Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx's latest movie, . The title, while referencing the events of the film, also perhaps alludes to Cameron Diaz's return to screens. The film, having made its debut on January 17, 2025, currently claims the coveted #1 spot on Netflix's Global Top 10 Movies list with 46.8 million. .

Back in Action is directed by Seth Gordon, with Diaz and Foxx taking on the titular roles of former CIA agents Emily and Matt. The duo give up their action-packed spy life when they find out that Emily is pregnant. However, a film titled Back in Action would not do its name justice if the pair were not roped back into the intrigue and high-stakes life of spies once again. Emily and Matt's peaceful family life is disrupted when a video of them appears online, revealing their identities. Now, with their two children in tow, Emily and Matt have to outrun those pursuing them. Feels somewhat predictable? Well, you're not the only one.

From the get-go, Back in Action is, for lack of a better word, action-packed. Less than 10 minutes into the film, the action has already begun, and viewers see Matt and Emily displaying their spy skills onboard an airplane over snowy mountaintops. The end result is a fiery crash, from which Emily and Matt emerge unharmed. Having found out just minutes before that Emily is pregnant, the couple make a split-second decision to use the crash as their cover and go off the grid.

The pace at which Matt and Emily decide to retire from their lives of intrigue and the easy transition they appear to have had prevents an audience from truly connecting to the characters. . Was it really that easy for Matt and Emily to give up everything they worked for? Who helped them settle into civilian life? Where did they get fake passports, not only for themselves but also for their children? How did the government, or the others looking for them, not find them earlier, given that Matt and Emily didn't assume fake identities?

With its many plot holes, the storyline of Back in Action feels somewhat underdeveloped. However, this is not to say that the film does not deliver an entertaining watch. With the dynamic between Foxx and Cameron, despite the dialogue seeming somewhat forced at times, the film's focus on the theme of relationships between parents and children, especially mothers and daughters, and enough explosive action sequences, .

Back in Action has received mixed reviews from both audiences and critics, reflected most prominently in the film's Rotten Tomatoes score. The film has a dismal 26% on its Tomatometer, indicating that critics don't consider Back in Action worth watching. However, audiences have afforded it a significantly better score of 61%. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes have been quite harsh in their approach to the film, with Dustin Rowles referring to the movie as "just loud, uninspired nonsense, the screensaver in motion." Neil Soans took to the website to comment on the film's predictability, writing:

"While it occasionally delivers witty dialogue and clever moments, the narrative relies too heavily on clichés and lacks the sharpness needed to elevate it above mediocrity."

Although audiences were kinder, they, too, shared somewhat similar sentiments to critics. Ahmet A wrote that he couldn't watch beyond the half-hour mark, claiming that the script, visual effects, and acting were terrible. Supporting him, Lori T said:

"The story in this has been done over and over. Bland. It’s hard to get behind Diaz and Fox karate chopping their way out of this plot. Zzzz"

Cameron Diaz announced in 2018 that she was retiring from film. The A-lister's last film was Annie (2014), a remake in which she starred alongside Jamie Foxx. In a way, her return to film in Back in Action seems quite fitting, given that she both began and ended her retirement starring alongside Foxx. Speaking on BBC's Graham Norton Show, .

However, given the consideration that likely goes into breaking a 10-year retirement streak, was Back in Action the best film for the star to make a comeback in? Perhaps not, but "it is what it is," according to MovieWeb's own review, and if there is one point that both audiences and critics agree on, it is that Cameron Diaz's performance is not to be faulted. According to Cindy W:

"I really enjoyed this movie, it was fun to watch and Cameron Diaz is back, at least for this one movie, and I’ve really missed her movies since she pretty much retired. The chemistry between her and Jamie Fox is really good and the story is fun. It’s not going to win any awards but it was a definitely worth watching for me."

The fact that its stars are Back in Action's saving grace is also noted by critics. Despite the narrative's predictability and run-of-the-mill action, the dynamic between Cameron and Foxx keeps the film entertaining. As Stephanie Zacharek writes:

"Even if Back in Action is generally tame and bland, you can’t hold that against its stars. Their timing still has that pinpoint zing; their off-the-cuff casualness gives the movie whatever breeziness it’s got."

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