I didn’t plan it at all, but I end up watching Back in Action last night and the experience just felt different. Maybe because I wasn’t really expecting anything serious, or maybe because it was Cameron Diaz face I was seeing again after so many years. Honestly, it felt almost like seeing an old friend walk back into the room when you already thought they gone forever.
The movie itself is nothing too complicated. Two characters that I use to think about was the who once lived crazy lives now find themselves dragged back into that same chaos. Talking of explosions, car chases, betrayals, you know, all the usual action ingredients. But the way Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz carried it made it feel more alive. They have that natural spark together, like they are enjoying themselves, and it pass across to you as the audience.
There is one scene that stick with me, not because it was big action, but because it made me laugh harder than I expected. Jamie’s character was stuck in a situation that looked totally hopeless, but the way he talk his way out while still throwing punches… I swear I almost spill my drink. That was the kind of energy that make you remember why you even watch movies in the first place – to just forget everything and laugh.
Another scene that touch me was not loud at all. It was a quiet talk between the two leads, reflecting on how their choices in the past still hunt them in the present. Maybe it was just the way Cameron deliver it, but it hit me. I felt like she was not only speaking in the movie, but also to her fans, like “yes I’m back, maybe not perfect, but still me.”
Now, if you ask me if the story is new, I will say no. It’s predictable in many parts, you can guess where it’s going. But sometimes predictable is not bad, sometimes you just want comfort, something that give you what you expect but still make you smile.
For me, Back in Action was exactly that. Compose of comedy, movies fights, those nostalgic moment, and a comeback that feels warm. I didn’t watch it for surprises, I watch it for the feeling, and in that sense, it delivered more than I thought.