The Out-Laws Review

Streaming Movie Review - Netflix Comedy

Source: TV Insider

Meeting a partner’s parents can be interesting. You and this person get along, so it would make sense that you would have something in common with their extended family, but that isn’t always the case. As much as we might love the person we’re with, there is always a chance that things could go sideways with their extended family. This dynamic has been the subject of many movies in the past, and it is what drives the plot of Tyler Spindel’s newest movie, “The Out-Laws,” currently streaming on Netflix.

Owen Browning (Adam Devine) is a by-the-books bank manager about to marry his fiancee Parker McDermott (Nina Dobrev). Owen’s parents Neil (Richard Kind) and Margie (Julie Hagerty) are already wary of their future daughter-in-law, but now Owen is finally meeting her parents Billy (Pierce Brosnan) and Lilly (Ellen Barkin) who have been off the grid for the entirety of Owen and Parker’s relationship. Shortly after he meets his soon-to-be in-laws, his bank is robbed. The thieves knew things that Owen had shared with his in-laws while trying to bond, and now he is in the awkward position of trying to determine if the family that he is marrying into has criminals at its head.

This movie was not as fun as I had hoped, honestly. It has a really impressive cast and I thought that might help what seemed like a fairly pedestrian story, and I suppose it did some, but not enough.

Which isn’t to say this movie is a total wash. Devine is a really phenomenal comedic actor. He brings everything to this role and several moments in the movie that feel like they shouldn’t work, end of better because of his performance. Kind and Hagerty are always a delight and I wish we had a little more time with them. I really enjoyed Brosnan in an action role where he had a chance to flex his comedic chops. 

But when I say this story is pedestrian, I mean it. It goes for gross-out humor that, for me anyway, never really worked. I think what continues to frustrate me about these kinds of action comedies on streaming services is that they seem to be unable to settle on an audience. Is it a hard-core action movie or is it a silly caper with the in-laws? It never seemed to find its footing and as a result, I found my attention waning, even in its relatively short run time. There are two movies happening and either might be good, but they don’t feel like they go together very well.

If this was a movie playing in theaters, I would probably tell you to give it a miss. There’s not enough here to justify ticket prices. But if you already have Netflix and you’re looking for a way to pass a couple hours on a weekend, this is a passable comedy. What it steals from other, better movies is still an acceptable take.

This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on July 15, 2023.