Parents' Guide to Non Negotiable

In terms of the genre, there's nothing new here. Treading familiar hostage negotiator territory, Non Negotiable doesn't do anything all that interesting. Alan is a star hostage negotiator, but his work has taken a toll on his family and personal life. His wife is fed up and is thinking about divorce, their daughter is getting to the age where she's aware of what's going on, and woe is Alan, what shall he ever do? Then a master hostage taker who knows all the tricks takes the president and demands to talk to Alan and only Alan. Clearly, he's justified in running out of his couple's therapy session! He has a president to save!

Billed as a comedy and as an action film, neither really describe it. And despite the offensive reliance on a character who has a speech disorder for humor, not much about this film says "comedy." If this category wasn't suggested, most viewers wouldn't think this film was a comedy after watching it. The movie often takes a dead serious tone. But then it also is trying to be fun and wacky and crazy amidst all the dire seriousness of a hostage taker who might kill everyone. The film might've been better as a purely dark thriller or a comedy that pokes fun at the genre. Instead, this film tries to do both while not succeeding at either.