Anybody who studies cinematic comedians will eventually get to Adam Devine. They may not get there fast, and they probably won’t stay long, but it’s time we recognize that Adam Devine is going to continue to star in comedic films no matter how much we don’t want him to. While I applaud Adam’s desire to do literally anything to get a laugh, I have been waiting for him to make me laugh for years now. And after The Out-Laws, I’m still waiting.
Netflix’s newest gift to insomniacs is The Out-Laws, a film without a single honest scene or redeemable feature. But it was significantly less painful than Jexi. And if that’s the best thing one can say about a film, that film sucks.
Owen Browning (Devine) and Parker McDermott (Nina Dobrev) are engaged. I kinda wish that did it for me, cuz then I could at least say, “aww, they’re gettin’ married. Awww.” Parker’s estranged parents are suddenly in the picture, which alarms Parker, and should alarm us, too. The senior McDermotts (Ellen Barkin and Pierce Brosnan) are cool international bank robbers which is supposed to set-up a comic juxtaposition with Owen, who is a dork. It doesn’t.
Turns out Owen is the manager at a bank. That’s quite a stretch, huh? And one night the McDermotts get Owen drunk enough to spill vault secrets and then the f***ers go and rob his bank. Geez, with family like that, who needs family. This is explained by the McDermotts being in deep to a Slavic 
mobster. (And, hey, I once played bass for Slavic Mobster.) The McDermotts proved happily willing to jeopardize the safety of their daughter and future son-in-law to get out of their mobster jam … which is what we called instrumental moments in Slavic Mobster.
I loathe films that aren’t researched well and this has “poor research” written all over it. It is beyond cliché to see a modern bank robbery. Smart criminals generally do not rob banks for pretty good reasons these days, the biggest of which is bank robbers get caught. There may not be cameras, silent alarms, plexiglass, ink splatter packets, and timed safes in your local supermarket, but I guarantee all of those things will be present at whatever bank you visit today. A lot of trouble has gone into making sure modern bank robberies result in 1) minimal losses and 2) prison sentences. The idea that there are currently famous bank robbers is laughable.
Oh, and then there’s the part where the bank robbers don’t seem particularly professional, which seriously undermines their infamy. Oh, and then there’s the part where Owen himself gladly turns to bank robbery when Parker is threatened. I know that sounds romantic, but it’s kinda just the opposite and would tell me exactly how malleable my fiancé’s moral center is.
As far as I can tell, this film was made for exactly one reason: to see Adam Devine robbing a bank while dressed as Shrek. Did this make the movie fun for me? No. Did it at least elicit a smile? Yes. Is that enough to recommend the film? Dude, that isn’t even enough to recommend the next scene … which involved a car chase through a cemetery … the occupied part of the cemetery, Hooo boy.
There once was a sponge-man named Owen
Who knew where his future was goin’
Then her ‘rents came to call
And brought Hell to all
So now in the towel, he be throwin’
Rated R, 95 Minutes
Director: Tyler Spindel
Writer: Den Zazove, Evan Turner
Genre: *stonefaced, arms crossed*
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Adam Devine’s mother, relieved that he thankfully avoided nudity for once
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Bank managers
