For many, meeting one’s future parents-in-law is often a nerve-wrecking moment. But for bank manager Owen Browning in Netflix’s new “The Out-Laws”, things are even more complicated.
Even though Owen (Adam Devine) has never met his fiancé Parker’s parents before, he doesn’t suspect anything amiss. In fact, he is even looking forward to meeting them – until he’s caught off-guard when Billy (Pierce Brosnan) and Lilly (Ellen Barkin) arrive earlier than expected.
Taking things in his stride, Owen sets out to impress them with activities they could do together, but his idea of fun – a visit to a pottery exhibition and the Holocaust Museum – falls flat. Instead, the senior couple prefer skydiving and getting tattoos.
Yup, it soon becomes clear to Owen that Billy and Lilly are a wild couple – but how wild, exactly? Well, when his bank gets robbed by the Ghost Bandits – “the most notorious bank robbers in American history” – he begins to suspect that the outlaws are, in fact, his future in-laws.
Things only get worse when FBI agent Roger Oldham (Michael Rooker) suspects Owen himself is behind the robbery. Throw in Owen’s eccentric parents, and a kidnapping by the Ghost Bandits’ rival, and you have this: a so-called action-comedy that’s neither thrilling nor all that funny.
So, what’s lacking here? For starters, the action sequences are mediocre at best and don’t leave much of an impression, save for the scene where Owen drives a truck right through a cemetery and destroys gravestones with the police hot on his heels.
Speaking of Owen, Devine is a far cry from being divine as his over-the-top acting borders on annoying, akin to Ben Stiller’s portrayal of Greg Focker in “Meet the Parents”. But Greg, at least, was a more likeable character.
Less is definitely more in Devine’s case; in fact, his performance here is reminiscent of a young Adam Sandler in action – which might not be entirely surprising, given that Sandler is one of the film’s producers. (As an aside: keep an eye out for Sandler’s wife Jackie and their daughter, Sunny – assuming you know what they look like.)
There is also nothing new about the plot: a goofy guy wanting to impress his spouse’s parents? “Father of the Bride”, the aforementioned “Meet the Parents”, and “You People” have done it before, and better.
At least those movies had scenes with heart that make you root for the hapless leading man. This one emphatically does not.
To make up for the misses, the supporting cast could perhaps have been given more screen time, one example being Poorna Jagannathan as the Bandits’ rival Rehan. Clad in striking outfits and an inexplicable Russian accent, she is simply a hoot!
Fans of “Never Have I Ever” would enjoy seeing her play a vastly different character from the serious Dr Nalini Vishwakumar. Despite being a villain here, Poorna makes viewers warm up to her even more than Devine does.
It is also unfortunate that the phenomenal Emmy- and Tony-award-winning Barkin isn’t given the time she deserves on screen, and her character not fleshed out further.
Instead, there is more focus on Billy and Owen, when greater development of her relationship with Owen would’ve provided a maternal perspective to make up for the lack of heartwarming moments.
All in all, this is probably only worth watching if you’re a die-hard fan of any of the lead actors or Adam Sandler. Although Brosnan sporting a leather jacket and an Irish accent is as pleasing on the eyes and ears as ever… so at least, failing all else, there’s that.
‘The Out-Laws’ is streaming on Netflix.