The Out-Laws (2023) — Movie Review

In a regrettable cinematic misstep, "The Out-Laws" finds the hapless Owen Browning, played by Adam DeVine, embroiled in a mess with his fiancee's secret bank robber parents (Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin). This new film, unfortunately, fails to capture the essence of "The In-Laws.” It seems to aim to replicate, especially considering it arrived on screens soon after the passing of Alan Arkin, a key figure from the original movie. Tyler Spindel, known for his past work with Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions, delivers a product that is disappointingly unoriginal.

DeVine portrays a bank manager, Owen, who is a bumbling fool with no capacity for rational decision-making or restraint. It's baffling to consider him entrusted with anything more severe than taking out the trash. His fiancee, Parker (Nina Dobrev), is a yoga teacher, yet she's oddly mistaken as an exotic dancer by Owen's family. Although Parker is attractive and pleasant, her quirkiness keeps her from being mundane. Her relationship with Owen, an action-figure enthusiast who tends to panic and say inappropriate things, is perplexing. It mirrors the common TV sitcom setup where a dense, self-centered man-child is coupled with a beautiful, angelic woman.

Owen and his parents (Julie Hagerty and Richard Kind) are unaware of Parker's parents, Billy and Lilly's real occupations. Instead, they believe are globe-trotting anthropologists studying the Yanomami tribe in the Amazon. Their worlds collide in a disastrous meet-the-parents scenario. Owen inadvertently provides enough information for Billy and Lilly to rob his bank. This creates a predicament that doesn't end even halfway through the movie. Instead, the film insists on more chaotic and redundant sequences. It is filled with car chases, plot twists, and a lot of shouting.

The ensemble cast of "The Out-Laws" is a mix of talented individuals who unfortunately cannot save the sinking ship. The cast includes Poorna Jagannathan as a crazy money launderer, Michael Rooker as an alcoholic FBI agent, and Lil Rel Howery as the protagonist's excessively enthusiastic best friend. The film even features snippets from classics like "Ocean's," "Heat," and "Die Hard.” Honestly, this reminds the audience of better films they could be viewing instead.

The film offers little for its seasoned cast to work with. It sidelines them in the clumsy, improvisational style that has characterized mainstream Hollywood comedies since the 1990s. The writing from Evan Turner and Ben Zazove occasionally offers lines that are characteristic and seem linked to the character's psychology, but it's barely noticeable.

In essence, "The Out-Laws" appears as a poorly assembled product, more like a recorded rehearsal on a fully furnished set than a well-executed film. Dialogue feels disconnected from the storyline, while characters' reactions seem forced. The film's widescreen CinemaScope ratio serves no purpose other than to remind the audience they're watching a film rather than a compilation of disjointed YouTube sketches.

While "The Out-Laws" seeks to draw from the tradition of clever slapstick comedies like "The In-Laws," "Midnight Run," and "Central Intelligence," it falls far short of these classics. Imagine a cringe-worthy humanized version of a DreamWorks animated film – that's "The Out-Laws" for you. The movie includes a particularly grating scene featuring a robber wearing a Shrek mask, attempting a Scottish accent, and debating its authenticity. If you're in search of good comedy, revisit "The In-Laws" instead.