From left, Pierce Brosnan, Adam DeVine, Ellen Barkin and Nina Dobrev in “The Out-Laws.”
Scott Yamano | Netflix | TNS
If you’re going to make a half-baked action-comedy, have the decency to put some enjoyable actors in it.
That’s what the makers of “The Out-Laws” — debuting on Netflix this week — have done, with a cast led by Adam DeVine and veteran performers Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin.
Whenever the family-forward bank-heist romp threatens to run aground, one of the three — or a member of the decent supporting cast, with Lil Rel Howery and other recognizable folks — so puts his or her back into selling a line or a moment that you can’t quite quit this movie.
Take, for instance, when Julie Hagerty’s character, Margie, explains that she and her husband, Neil, don’t venture far from home because “Neil has traveler’s diarrhea.”
The always-enjoyable Richard Kind (“Spin City”), as Neil, immediately chimes in with, “It’s not just when I travel.”
Yes, this is the kind of sophomoric humor we would expect from an offering from Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions, which has a big-money deal with the streamer. Nonetheless, the movie’s gags — often more crass than clever — tend to land with a laugh more often than not.
Helmed by Tyler Spindel — director of the poorly reviewed “The Wrong Missy,” a Happy Madison-Netflix joint released in 2020 — “The Out-Laws” begins with the earnest Owen (DeVine) about to marry the love of his life, Parker (Nina Dobrev of “The Vampire Diaries”). He’s very into the wedding prep, creating a seating chart arrangement using a myriad of figurines. (He used He-Man as his representation because, he tells Parker, they have the same butt.)
To this point, their biggest problem is his parents, the aforementioned Neil and Margie, who believe Parker to be a stripper despite Owen’s repeated explanations of what running a yoga studio actually entails.
Neil and Margie also have made it very clear how they feel about the fact Parker’s parents — supposedly researchers who immerse themselves in primitive cultures for lengthy stretches — won’t be attending the wedding.
However, the mysterious pair, Brosnan’s Billy and Barkin’s Lilly, appear inside Owen’s home — despite the fact Owen never forgets to lock the door — and warmly embrace their future son-in-law.
We learn that Billy and Lilly in truth are notorious bank robbers, and they’ve taken an interest in Owen because he’s the manager of a bank and the designer of its security system.
After the bank is robbed by two masked individuals using voice modulation, Owen immediately suspects his future in-laws but wants proof before bringing all of this to Parker.
Meanwhile, a dangerous former criminal associate of the pair, Rehan (Poorna Jagannathan of Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever”), insists they owe her $5 million and promises dire consequences if they don’t pay.
Things only get messier for Owen, Billy and Lilly, and the storytelling of writers Evan Turner and Ben Zazove grows increasingly clunky.
Michael Rooker (“Mississippi Burning,” “The Walking Dead”) shows up as a flask-swigging FBI agent long obsessed with the so-called “Ghost Bandits,” but even with the actor’s screen presence, the character doesn’t add much to the proceedings.
If you’ve enjoyed the sometimes-frenetic DeVine in the “Pitch Perfect” franchise and other shows and movies, you’ll likely appreciate his work here. It’s very, well, DeVine-y.
And, of course, one-time James Bond Brosnan brings his endless amount of cool to “The Out-Laws,” and he and Barkin (“The Big Easy”) are reasonably fun as Billy and Lilly must work with Owen to achieve a resolution they all want.
Given its relative star power, though, “The Out-Laws” no doubt should be better than it is. It’s especially disappointing that the dependably funny Howery (“Get Out,” “Free Guy”) isn’t given more to do, for starters, as Tyree, an employee at Owen’s bank and his friend.
Ultimately, “The Out-Laws” feels a little too slapped-together, and it’s hard to give it anything resembling a strong recommendation.
On the other hand, this is the rare week this summer without an attention-grabbing movie hitting theaters, so you could do worse than staying in and streaming this one.
That’s probably how Neil would play it.
‘THE OUT-LAWS’
2 stars (out of 4)
MPA rating: R (for language throughout, violence, sexual material and brief drug use)
Running time: 1:35
How to watch: Netflix
