It’s a tale as old as time: boy meets girl, finds a stable relationship with said girl, and finds out his future in-laws are bank robbers. Ok, so maybe Netflix’s new action rom-com The Out-Laws strays from the usual path to romance a bit differently, but the film’s first trailer does show this 2023 new movie release has quite a flair for the comedic. And part of that is thanks to an A+ joke about the James Bond movies that could only happen with former 007 Pierce Brosnan involved.
Netflix’s first trailer for this summer offering shows us the story of Owen (Adam Devine) and Parker (Nina Dobrev), a pair of crazy kids ready to get married. So far so good, as again the red streaming giant makes hay with these sorts of romances quite often. The arrival of Parker’s parents (Ellen Barkin and Pierce Brosnan) complicates things a bit, but not merely with the usual claims that their daughter can do better.
Before you know it, mom and dad are outed as the infamous bank robbers known as “The Ghost Bandits,” and their daughter is kidnapped by some intense people who they’ve wronged in the past. It all leads up to Owen needing to prove he can hang with The Out-Laws, and posing with a gun that kicks off this moment of soon-to-be family bonding:
"Adam Devine: Do I look cool?
Ellen Barkin: Yeah. You look like James Bond.
Pierce Brosnan: Which one?
Barkin: Five.
Brosnan: Well that was a good one."
The joke works on so many levels, and all of them are because of Ellen Barkin and Pierce Brosnan’s comedic timing together. Landing the nail on the head by highlighting Brosnan’s James Bond as the fifth of the current six actors to play the role, it’s a sly reference. But including the Irish acting superstar in on the deal, complete with his wry and dry sense of humor, turns it into a gag that even the late Roger Moore would be pleased with.
Looking at the bigger picture for The Out-Laws, this new addition to new movies and TV shows on Netflix looks like another fun ride that knows exactly what it’s winking and nodding at. It’s reminiscent to the full trailer for FUBAR, which suggested pretty heavily that Arnold Schwarzenegger was sending up his previous role as a secret superspy/family man in True Lies. You could even extend that metaphor to Ellen Barkin, who seems to have switched to robbing vaults instead of securing them as a part of the Ocean’s Thirteen cast.
No matter how you look at it, or what references you pull from this breezy romp through our first look at The Out-Laws, explosive fun is being promised. It’s also a good sign that when it comes to actors who have played James Bond, Netflix is shaping up to be a platform to let actors like Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig kick back and have some fun. Just imagine the jokes that could come from a hypothetical meeting for Knives Out 3.
If this looks like your brand of action, romance, and laughter, you can prepare to meet The Out-Laws on July 7th. While you don’t need an engagement ring to seal the deal, a Netflix subscription will do the trick rather nicely. And if you want to see more Pierce Brosnan comedy gold on that same platform, check out Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga; which also happens to be a Netflix original.
