Back in Action may be the name of the latest release on Netflix's 2025 schedule, but it's also a pretty accurate assessment on both of its stars. The spy comedy is Cameron Diaz's first film in a decade after she turned down everything but her wine business,. Additionally, production was paused for a bit until Jamie Foxx was able to settle back in after his 2023 health scare. So was it worth the wait to see the reunion between these two (who previously appeared in Any Given Sunday and 2014's Annie)? Critics screened the movie ahead of its January 17 release, and they've got some pretty brutal reactions.

Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx play ex-CIA agents who are forced to return to their super secret ways after having their identities exposed. The Back in Action trailer makes it look like we're in for a fun and hilarious time, so should you be firing up that Netflix subscription to check this one out this weekend? Jim Vorel of Paste says maybe not, rating it a 5.0 out of 10. While the stunt work and choreography are pretty slick, the script is stuck in the past, the critic writes, continuing:

Taylor Gates of Collider rates it a 4 out of 10, saying Back in Action is "too formulaic to be fun," and it struggles in tone as too adult to engage a younger audience but too kid-friendly to be considered one of Netflix's sexiest movies. Gates says:

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast agrees the upcoming 2025 movie is a "major letdown," saying no one was asking it to reinvent the wheel, but the "overwhelming banality of its every element is tough to stomach." Harsh! Schager continues:

Christian Zilko of IndieWire grades it a C- and says Back in Action is as generic as they come. However, even with its simple premise and predictable twist, Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx each making a comeback in their own way adds an undeniable layer of interest. In Zilko's words:

Critics and audiences seem to agree with the above assessments, too, with Back in Action sporting middling scores on Rotten Tomatoes as it hits Netflix -- one of the best streaming services -- on January 17. Accumulated critics have rated it 58%, while the audience's Popcornmeter is slightly lower at 50%. The action-comedy is available to stream now.