Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Crass humor, language, and violence in jumbled comedy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Out-Laws
What's the Story?
In THE OUT-LAWS, Owen (Adam Devine) and Parker (Nina Dobrev) are about to be married. Owen's difficult parents, Neil (Richard Kind) and Margie (Julie Hagerty), are confirmed to attend when Parker's parents, Billy (Pierce Brosnan) and Lilly (Ellen Barkin), announce last-minute that they're coming as well. They swoop into town, intimidating bank manager Owen. When Owen's bank is robbed at gunpoint, he's convinced Billy and Lilly are behind the heist. Turns out he's right and they owe millions to gangster Rehan (Poorna Jagannathan).
Is It Any Good?
This Happy Madison production has Adam Sandler written all over it -- not a compliment in this case, as the cast of talents and funny premise are undermined by some of the Sandler-style antics. The Out-Laws lets the genuinely funny Devine and icons Brosnan and Barkin get overwhelmed by a mish-mash of gags and gross-outs. The film lands some laughs, mostly exploiting Devine's physical comedy and Brosnan's physical attractiveness (watch for the Bond reference). But the gratuitous violence and crass humor muddy the tone. Comic Kind is in especially good form as the nerdy dad, but Jagannathan, so sophisticated as the mom in Netflix's Never Have I Ever, is miscast as a heartless mobster.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in The Out-Laws. Mostly it's played for laughs, but it also gets bloody at times. Do you think the violence was funny in this film? Did it ever feel unnecessary to you?
The adults in this movie swear a lot and make regular crude references and gestures. How would the story or characters have changed if the writers took out the language and references?
How were drinking, smoking, and drugs portrayed? Were there consequences? Did it glamorize them?
How was sex discussed in the film? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
Who do you think is the target audience for this film, and why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : July 7, 2023
- Cast : Adam Devine , Pierce Brosnan , Nina Dobrev
- Director : Tyler Spindell
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language throughout, violence, sexual material and brief drug use
- Last updated : July 7, 2023
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