Have you noticed that half the star vehicles on Netflix play characters that’ve concealed a career as a spy or secret agent from their family? That was the premise of True Lies in 1994, and it worked like gangbusters back then. But that plot has been recycled countless times of late, including by Arnold himself in his Netflix show FUBAR.

The new Netflix movie Back in Action does that as well. But at least has an irresistible hook, which doubles as another reason for its title: Cameron Diaz has returned from a decade-long retirement—it’s her first movie since the Annie remake, in 2014—while her co-star, Jamie Foxx, appears in his first big movie role since his health scare a couple of years ago, although Foxx’s stroke happened when the film was near the end of production.

There aren’t many surprises. But Foxx and Diaz are great together, and it’s especially welcome to see Diaz in the movies again.

Back in Action was directed by Seth Gordon, who made a smart documentary in 2007 ( The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters), and more recently has specialized in studio comedies like Horrible Bosses and the misbegotten 2017 Baywatch movie. Gordon also co-wrote the film, although its Writers Guild page lists 17 different writers who contributed “Additional Literary Material: (not on-screen).”

This is Gordon’s first directorial credit in the eight years since Baywatch. And while I remember the ghastly action scenes in Baywatch, they’re much better here. One highlight is a scene involving a flamethrower, joining Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Hidden in the pantheon of great movie flamethrower scenes.

Foxx and Diaz are introduced in a prologue, set 15 years before the main action, which works because the actors both possess the ability to look younger than they are. They’re on a mission to steal a valuable thumb drive, and when it all goes awry, the two parachute out of a plane into a new life of suburban parenthood.

In the present day, they’re the parents of young teenagers, retired as spies but still occasionally putting their skills to use, by spying on their daughter when she tries to go to a club. Predictably, their old life catches up with them, on a jaunt through England that includes the kids, rival spies, and plenty of explosions.

The cast goes deeper than just the two leads. Glenn Close has an enjoyable turn as Diaz’s estranged and very British mom, and I appreciated the casting of Andrew Scott as an antagonist, even if he’s not given much to do. And Kyle Chandler has a lot of fun in an against-type role.

Last year’s streaming series take on Mr. And Mrs. Smith, with Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, was probably a better version of the married-couple-as-spies premise. Nevertheless, I’m happy Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx are back.

The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.