The action-comedy overcame more than the usual amount of hurdles on the way to the screen, all the way up to its New York premiere being canceled in solidarity with the troubling times in Los Angeles.

Back in Action' director Seth Gordon tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx supported each other throughout filming — when the actress marked her return to acting with her first movie in over a decade and the actor had a medical emergency during production in April 2023.

You'll see the "third-act 'twist' coming a mile off", said Ben Travis in Empire, and Andrew Scott and Kyle Chandler are "wasted in insubstantial roles". But Back in Action is a fun, "fizzily watchable" treat. A word to Diaz: "Next time don't leave it so long, eh?"

Back in Action' director Seth Gordon tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that Jamie Foxx was Cameron Diaz's 'biggest cheerleader' as she returned to acting with her first movie in more than a decade.

Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz topped Netflix’s charts this week with their new spy movie, “Back in Action.” Deadline reports that from January 13 to 19, the film garnered an impressive 46.8 million views,

Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz's new movie 'Back in Action' debuted with 46.8 million views in its opening weekend on Netflix.

They also hyped up their double-denim looks, including Diaz’s sexy Canadian tux moment at the 2000 Charlie’s Angels screening (“When do I not wear denim-on-denim?” she quipped) and Foxx’s “Ice Cube” ensemble from the Men of Honor premiere that same year.

Foxx is charismatic and confident in his role. Diaz’s return to Hollywood is applauded by fans. She is sassy as she channels her ‘Charlie’s Angels’ skills in the fight scenes.

Matt and Emily used to be glamorous secret agents. Then she got pregnant, and now they’re undercover suburban parents trying to get along with teenage kids. Soon, the past comes