In 1979 Peter Falk and the late great Alan Arkin made the perfect odd couple in the classic action comedy, The In-Laws. It even spawned a not-bad remake with Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks in 2003. The difference between those films, and a bit of an attempt to do something similar in the cleverly-titled The Out-Laws, which starts streaming on Netflix today, is that those movies were genuinely funny, particularly the Arkin-Falk teaming, but this one, also a kind of Meet The Parents on steroids, relies far too heavily on non-stop and incessant action scenes to carry us through its 95 minute running time.
The fault here does not lie with its cast which is pretty impressive overall. Basically this is a comedic vehicle for Adam Devine who not only stars, but also helped develop the Ben Zazove and Evan Turner script as well as producing with Happy Madison’s Adam Sandler and Allen Covert. Devine (Workaholics) is a natural at this sort of zany comedy, here playing Owen Browning, a nebbishy bank manager set to marry the love of his life, Parker (a charming Nina Dobrev), but who soon finds he may be in way over his head upon learning that Parker’s mysterious globe-trotting parents Billy (Pierce Brosnan) and Lilly (Ellen Barkin) have surprisingly decided to attend the wedding after all. This causes much consternation not just for Owen, but also his straight-laced parents Neil (Richard Kind) and Margie (the devine Julie Hagerty) who, based on what they have heard, have no love lost for their future in-laws. The initial meetings are DeNiro-Stiller light, but the presence of Brosnan, sporting a whiff of James Bond gravitas and the always welcome Barkin lift the proceedings entirely.
Things get out of hand though when a robbery by the notorious Ghost Bandits (who invade banks as if they were in Transformers) gives him pause and leads him to suspect that possibly his future in-laws are, well, out-laws too, a kind of Bonnie and Clyde for the new age. Did they pull off the heist? Or is Owen about to find himself on the other side of the law as a rival group of robbers including the over-the-top Rohan (Poorna Jagannathan) enters the picture. In no time Owen is dressed up in full Shrek ensemble (don’t ask), guns blazing, and pulling off a hold up. There might be better ways to endear yourself to your new in-laws, but not in this scenario which is full of all sorts of stunts, chases, shoot outs, and madcap shenanigans that never slow down to reveal much more than a single dimension of this group of characters struggling to resemle living breathing human beings.
Director Tyler Spindel comes from the stand up comedy world, and certainly knows how to get laughs, and stage chases, but in this case seems to have succumbed more to emphasizing the action at every turn here. His previous Netflix comedy for Happy Madision, was 2020’s knock-down hilarious The Wrong Missy starred David Spade and really hit the bullseye. I only wish he had been able to balance the action with more character development in this one which seems to be throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. Frenetic is the word that comes to mind.
Fortunately Spindel has the likable Devine who is working overtime to deliver in the starring role, and especially Brosnan and Barkin, two old pros who manage to make their scenes work despite the script’s shortcomings. You get the feeling that Brosnan is really enjoying playing against the broad comedy the cast has to navigate.That goes for the ever-dependable Kind and Hagerty as well, plus well-placed, if brief, supporting turns from Lil Rel Howery, Blake Anderson, and Michael Rooker, the latter as the Agent who has been trying to track down Billy and Lilly for some time.
Audiences looking to settle for sheer mayhem will be engaged, but the promising premise doesn’t deliver the level of fun the audience, and this cast, truly deserves.
Title: The Out-Laws
Distributor: Netflix
Release Date: July 7, 2023. On streaming
Director: Tyler Spindel
Screenwriters: Ben Zazove and Evan Turner
Cast: Adam Devine, Nina Dobrev, Michael Rooker, Pierce Brosnan, Ellen Barkin, Richard Kind, Julie Hagerty, Lil Rel Howery, Poorna Jagannathan, Blake Anderson
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes