Cameron Diaz makes an unexpected return to acting in Back in Action, a Netflix action comedy so generic and sterile that it just might send her back into retirement. There is some real acting talent here including Jamie Foxx, Andrew Scott, Kyle Chandler, and Glenn Close. All of it is wasted.

Emily (Diaz) and Matt (Foxx) are international spies who, after starting a romantic relationship, retire from espionage to have a baby. 15 years later they are living in suburbia when their past violently catches up on them and they are forced to go on the run – their two children in tow.

If there is a stereotype available to Back in Action, its moribund and formulaic screenplay finds it. It is a patchwork of other, much better films – even the mediocre sources are an improvement on what is on offer here. The jokes were worn thin before the opening credits roll. The entire foundations of the film are photocopies of photocopies of photocopies, and without a single innovation or original idea there is nothing that is shaken up or refreshed. There are segments to the audience who will still enjoy Back in Action, and they will make all manner of excuses for writing this lazy – usually including phrases like ‘leave your brain at the door’. Trust me that you do not need standards that low in your life.

The films script is credited to Seth Gordon and Brendan O’Brien, with Gordon also taking the directorial reins. Visually the film is a hodge-podge of rapid editing and unnecessary CGI. It is edited so as to appear visually incoherent. Bad CGI is used to generate over-the-top action beats the production cannot actually afford.

Diaz and Foxx are honestly doing their best, and their high charisma and banter does provide some entertainment value. The entire supporting cast are wasted. Think of the other films out there that could have made use of Glenn Close, or Andrew Scott, or Kyle Chandler in their casts, and note that this film denied them the opportunity.

Back in Action is not a film, but a product. It exists without artistic purpose or merit, designed to make familiar sounds and comforting action beats for a lowest-common-denominator. It exists for the sole purpose of resembling popular cinema from the outside and driving subscriptions for Netflix for a couple of weeks. After that, it will be entirely forgotten – and that’s probably for the best. It is great to see Cameron Diaz back performing on screen. I hope to heaven that she follows this up with something that’s actually good.

In fact at this stage I’ll just accept her in something watchable.