Summary
- Cameron Diaz's Netflix movie, "Back in Action," has the potential to redeem her poor reviews from her last spy movie, "Knight and Day."
- Diaz's previous movies, such as "The Counselor," "The Other Woman," "Sex Tape," and "Annie," underperformed with critics, showing that her projects struggled in multiple genres.
- Diaz's earlier spy franchise, "Charlie's Angels," was a major box office success, showcasing her skillful balance of comedy and action that will benefit "Back in Action."
While Cameron Diaz hasn’t been seen on the big screen since 2014, her Netflix movie can make up for an infamous flop that co-starred Tom Cruise. Cameron Diaz has one of the most impressive blockbuster careers in modern cinema history. The star led both the Charlie’s Angels and Shrek franchises to box office glory in the early ‘00s, proving she could dominate the multiplex in both animated and live-action roles. Her parts in Being John Malkovich and Gangs of New York showed her dramatic chops, while There’s Something About Mary and The Holiday proved she had rom-com bonafides too.
Despite this, Cameron Diaz’s 2024 comeback is necessary because the actor’s box office dominance waned during the 2010s. Diaz’s four most recent movies, The Counselor, The Other Woman, Sex Tape, and Annie, all underperformed with critics upon release. What made matters worse was the fact that these movies ranged in genre from a dark thriller to a raunchy comedy to a children’s movie. This proved that Diaz’s projects struggled in multiple genres, a trend that began back in 2010 when the actor co-starred alongside Tom Cruise in a blockbuster that seemed destined for success, only to fail disastrously.
Back In Action Can Redeem The Poor Reviews Of Cameron Diaz's Last Spy Movie, Knight And Day
2010’s Knight and Day starred Cruise as a charming secret agent and Diaz as a hapless civilian who got caught up in his latest mission. This sounded like a perfect recipe for a blockbuster action comedy, but Knight and Day’s largely negative reviews and disappointing box office return had a lasting negative impact on Diaz’s career. However, a chance to redeem the poor reception to Knight and Day is about to arrive via Back in Action, a movie that will put Diaz back in the familiar role of a co-lead in an action film.
Diaz has now come out of retirement for Netflix’s Back in Action, but Knight and Day’s paltry 52% Rotten Tomatoes rating will cast a long shadow over this project. Even though Cruise and Diaz seemed like they were guaranteed box office draws in 2010, their last collaboration still underperformed both financially and critically upon release. Luckily, Diaz has another, earlier spy franchise that proves she can produce cult hits within the genre. Neither Charlie’s Angels and its sequel Full Throttle fared well critically, but they were major box office successes that are now viewed as cheesy, self-aware classics.
Back In Action Could Be Cameron Diaz's Best Spy Movie Since Charlie's Angels
The failure of 2019’s Charlie’s Angels reboot proves how hard it is to get the playful tone of the franchise right, and Diaz’s role in the early 2000s movies was central to their success. Back In Action can benefit from Diaz’s skillful balance of comedy chops and action prowess as the star emerges from retirement, reminding viewers what made her a force to be reckoned with at the box office back in the ‘00s. The Charlie’s Angels movies provide a blueprint for Netflix’s new Cameron Diaz movie to follow, while Knight and Day helpfully illustrated what not to do.
