The title of The Out-Laws and its play on words may be the cleverest thing about this predictable comedic heist film, but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable if you accept it for what it is. It’s not a film that is trying to be surprising it lives comfortably in that predictability that is also a product of that clever title. A title that gives away the crucks of the plot Owen (played by Adam Devine) soon-to-be in-laws are also outlaws. So, there is no surprise when Billy (played by Pierce Brosnan) and Lilly (played by Ellen Barkin) rob the bank he works at. It would’ve been surprising if they didn’t rob it. And if you aren’t looking for twists that surprise you, then it is an enjoyable comedic heist film.
The film was produced through Adam Sandler’s Netflix deal and was directed by Tyler Spindel who has directed previously for Adam Sandler’s production company (The Wrong Missy). It was written by Ben Zazove, probably best known for his writing on the Gnomeo and Juliet sequel/spin-off Sherlock Gnomes and Evan Turner who has written on The Goldbergs.
Now I did find that at times the comedy was a little broad, but there was a nice sweet spot when Adam Devine played off people like Nina Dobrev as Parker, his fiancé a yoga instructor his father keeps mistaking for a stripper, or Lauren Lapkus as Phoebe King, his nemesis who runs the most secure bank in the area. The opening scene between Adam and Nina, when they look over his 3D action figure wedding chart, is particularly charming. Enough to distract from the fact that Parker grabbing the He-man figure supposedly because she finds that one figure’s presence particularly odd is just a setup for the jokes in the scene.
Side note: the audience does not get a good look at all the figures in this action figure wedding chart, likely because then they would have to get licensing for each character.
Despite how broad the film can be at times, the film also uses good, grounded, character-driven, callbacks at key moments. Now, the plausibility of how these callbacks play out is debatable, but the film is a comedy, and plausibility/reality tends to screw differently.
The Out-Laws is the kind of film I would watch with my parents on a lazy afternoon when I was in Toronto. It’s R-rated, but not in a way that is too explicit making it uncomfortable to watch with parents. There are mentions of orgies, but not graphically, and there is no sex. This was the kind of movie we could’ve agreed on after arguing over a few other titles. Possibly if it was on linear TV instead of streaming, it’s a film a would catch my father watching scenes from when he’s flipping around channels, after watching it once. The things I find broad he probably would enjoy more.
So, if you go into the movie knowing that you can probably anticipate what is going to happen and that the comedy will be a little broad, you will probably have an enjoyable time watching Ellen Barkin and Pierce Bronson looking cool as the pair of bank robbers known as “The Ghost Bandits.”
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