The Out-Laws might promise an innocent culture clash comedy in those opening minutes, but things soon devolve into mayhem when ghost bandits Billy (Pierce Brosnan) and Lilly (Ellen Barkin) McDermott make an appearance.
Faced with meeting the in-laws, Owen (Adam Devine) spends much of his screentime trying to impress Parker’s (Nina Dobrev) charismatic bank robbing parents, as they systematically put him through the wringer. Either undermining his masculinity, questioning their daughter’s decisions or simply railroading Owen into extreme situations.
Written by Evan Turner and Ben Zazove, The Out-Laws is better than any audience has a right to expect, given the wafer-thin plot and lacklustre set-up. However, what becomes apparent over its thrifty running time is how good every supporting character is in this film. Whether audiences warm to the tag team of Tyree (Lil Rel Howery) and Marisol (Laci Mosley), or revel in the laugh out loud kinkiness of Owen’s banking competition Phoebe (Lauren Lapkus) – The Out-Laws has a lot to offer.
Elsewhere, veteran actors Richard Kind (Neil) and Julie Hagerty (Margie) are on scene stealing form as Owen’s parents. Either bickering amongst themselves or descending into moments of subtle slapstick which effortlessly ups the comedy quota. With Michael Rooker also joining the fray as Agent Oldham, this action comedy soon gets kicked up a notch, as two families come together before a kidnapping gets in the way of small talk.
Unfortunately, The Out-Laws is undermined by Adam Devine’s central performance, which creates a comedy vacuum whenever he tries to be funny. In the early stages especially, Owen is a complete sap who screams like a girl whenever anything untoward happens. There may be some audiences who find this endearing, but for many the character will quickly become tedious.
As the plot escalates and Owen develops a harder edge, he does try to redeem himself, but by then the damage is already done. Thankfully, Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin are having a riot playing villainous parents alongside an effortlessly entertaining supporting cast. So much so, that this may be a rare example of the ensemble outshining its star player.
Aided by a slick script packed with jokes which hit hard, The Out-Laws slowly gains momentum and continues to deliver despite that central distraction. Not only dragging this pedestrian plotline into paydirt territory, but proving that Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin really possess some serious comedy chops.
The Out-Laws is available to stream on Netflix from 7 July.
