Back in Action avoids Netflix’s biggest trope in the most perfect way

Forget the romance drama of Black Doves, Bridgerton, or even Baby Reindeer (ish) – Back in Action manages to avoid Netflix’s big love trope in the simplest of ways.

It’s sort of a given that romantic drama comes along with being a fictional spy. Just look at the many Bond girls in James Bond movies, or even duos as zany as Vanessa Barrington and Austin Powers.

The same can be said for Netflix. No matter what genre the streaming service is dabbling in, there’s always a form of love upset underpinning it. But that’s not the case in new movie Back in Action.

Instead, we deal with two people who are insanely in love with each other – and their shared life – for 15 years. They’re a rock-solid family unit, and according to director Seth Gordon, that’s totally intentional.

There’s no love drama in Back in Action for a reason

Our awesome foursome remains tight and steadfast until the end, and it’s beautiful to see. With neither Matt’s (Jamie Foxx) or Emily’s (Cameron Diaz) eye straying anywhere, we can focus on good old-fashioned action… and that’s sort of the point.

Netflix

Speaking to Dexerto, Gordon explained, “The idea for both couples was that we never had any false intention or story beat of like, ‘Will they, won’t they? Are they going to be on the rocks to get back together?’

“I wanted all the character and relationship jeopardy to be about their daughter. Both the kids are suspicious about their parents and think they’re phonies. They’re lying, full of sh*t, however you want to say it. Losing their trust, and in a way, losing them emotionally, was the real fear, and for any parent, you’ll know that’s real.”

The crux of the story follows Matt and Emily being thrown back into the CIA’s limelight after stepping aside to raise a family – and lying to their kids in the process. For Gordon, it’s the relationship between parent and child that matters most.

“The kernel of the idea for the movie came from thinking about, ‘What if Jason Bourne had a kid? What would happen? Would he have to retire?’ And then I was riffing about that with Beau [Bauman] of the movie, and I, to be honest, had had a few beers,” he continued.

“Just out of nowhere, he’s like, ‘That’s a movie. And maybe it should be a couple.’ And then we were talking about Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Bond… what the shape of it could be.”

Back in Action is available to stream on Netflix now. As well as the ending explained, check out more platform updates for Stranger Things Season 5 and Squid Game Season 3, or take a look at the most anticipated movies of the year.