REVIEW: Chemistry Keeps ‘Back In Action’ Mostly On Track

Director Seth Gordon throws Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz into the thick of it—it being action and family drama in equal amounts. Written by Gordon and Brendan O’Brien, the Netflix Original Film Back In Action (2025) follows Emily (Diaz) and Matt (Foxx) as two CIA spies who started dating, got pregnant, and then decided to take advantage of an operation gone wrong to escape espionage and start a family. That’s the setup for Back in Action. And the twist? Well, parenting is hard.

Now, with a teenage daughter and a preteen son, Emily and Matt are trying their best to keep their kids in line. But, when their daughter Alice (McKenna Roberts) decides to sneak out, a viral video of their parents starting a fight draws the attention of old colleagues and enemies. Add in that their son Leo (Rylan Jackson) is a techie who can’t just stay off of wi-fi, and it’s a big recipe for action-filled and mostly family-friendly fun. With their cover blown, the family has to go on the run, reconnect with estranged relatives, and finally start telling each other the truth.

Back In Action is a fine action comedy that doesn’t rewrite any formulas. The dynamic between parents and children works excellently. As much as Emily and Matt want to be overprotective parents, they never cross the threshold of being too overbearing. While the children can be eyeroll inducing, their refusal to listen makes sense once they realize that none of them are actually who they say they are.

Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz are a great pair in Back In Action (2025). 

The comedy that comes from parental miscommunications works well enough, but the jokes and situations don’t head down any untraveled comedic paths. It’s all paint-by-numbers material, and that’s where Foxx and Diaz’s chemistry comes in. Initially, I was worried that Emily and Matt’s connection would just be work-based. That said, their chemistry is immediate and believable.

They play off each other in every way, both in action sequences and in comedic exchanges. The duo never misses a single beat, and it makes for a charismatic movie that may be lofty in many of its narrative aspects but will keep you dialed in regardless. Diaz and Foxx come to life when the “be a spy” button gets pressed, and the two of them have to fight people. The action is always accented by well-used classic music tracks that add just enough tonal differentiation between our leads literally murdering people and the fun family escape plan they’re taking part in.

Back In Action has loud set pieces and fight choreography that works for the setting, even if one too many jump cuts get used in editing. For even more comedic relief, the more extensive sequences toward the film’s end, where grandma and their son get involved, dial everything up.

It’s all about Glenn Close.

Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx aren’t the only big-name actors in the film. Back In Action also stars Kyle Chandler, Glenn Close, Jamie Demetriou, and Andrew Scott. Even with these stars playing small parts, they make the most out of them, especially Glenn Close as Emily’s mother, Ginny.

If there is a single exciting character in Back In Action, it’s Ginny. Hands-down, no contest, Glenn Close’s comedic joy shines as a brash old British lady hunting in her front yard who married a man 25 years her junior. Whether it’s her line delivery or her joy in shooting action sequences, I’m all for Glenn Close being given more gun-toating roles. The dynamic she brings to the film is excellent, essentially providing the audience with a parallel to Emily and Alice, who have bickered for most of the movie.

Close’s action sequences are interesting, though few, and she even gets a sentimental moment when Emily and Ginny begin to rebuild their relationship after estrangement. Ginny just brings joy and laughs, even with a dry English wit.

Back In Action (2025) isn’t necessarily a much-watch film, but it’s one of the better Netflix-produced action comedies. Foxx and Diaz are two actors I want to keep seeing as a married couple, and if the ending of this film is any indication, maybe there will be a sequel.

Back In Action (2025) is available now exclusively on Netflix.