The Out-Laws (2023)

 The Out-Laws (2023)

 

2/10

Starring

Adam DeVine

Nina Dobrev

Ellen Barkin

Pierce Brosnan

 

Directed by Tyler Spindel

 

I am envious of Adam Sandler and the deal he has with Netflix to produce movies for them. I guess when you have an empty library because other production companies remove their content from your platform, you’ll allow anything and everything in just to fill the space.

This film was released on Netflix last week, and to be honest, the only thing it’s good for is filling space. There is nothing worth watching here. The moment the new in-laws (Billy and Lilly, played by Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin respectively) walked in and our lead (Owen, played by Adam DeVine) met them, the whole film unraveled. It lost everything that had me interested and became a total mess of a production.

Here’s the skinny on the plot: Owen and Parker are about to get married. We meet Owen’s family, who are, like in all movies, too goofy to be real. But Parker’s parents aren’t around, and it seems they’ll miss the wedding. Then, a call comes through saying they’re coming, and Owen is thrilled—but Parker is oddly reserved.

Owen starts digging into Parker’s parents and does something no one would ever do—he calls a place they’re connected to and asks for photos of them. Somehow, he thinks this is a great idea. It turns out the place he called isn’t exactly legitimate, and Parker’s parents are wanted by the “bad guys,” who are yet another goofy bunch. So, Owen’s call and leaving his details behind does more harm than good.

There’s a disconnect between the actors that makes you wonder how the director or casting team let it slip. The chemistry between Ellen Barkin and Nina Dobrev was particularly bad.

Another horrible aspect of this film is how Pierce Brosnan seemed like he was in a completely different movie. He was too much of a character compared to everyone else, and I couldn’t figure out if this was good or bad for him as an actor. Either way, it didn’t fit the film’s context at all.

This is a truly horrible film, no matter when you watch it. There has to be something better you could do with your time.

Why Netflix feels it’s OK to allow movies like this to be produced is beyond me. They’ve had great films that are worth watching twice over instead of this. Here, the characters never seem real, and the plot felt like something a three-year-old made up on the spot when asked to tell a story.