There are moments in life when all you want is to play a film that can cheer you up and make you forget the daily grind. Moments in which we might not watch a film that will shake our beliefs or make us keep our eyes and ears fully aware of what is going on. Moments in which we do not want to watch a film, but rather see a film… Probably as we relax on our sofas, being fully aware that there is a possibility of waking up in the middle of the film, as our daily effort has exhausted our stamina. We might want to escape, enjoy a couple of hours and not use our brains a lot. Maybe some people like to have a film on to avoid the sound of silence… or as they clean their homes, do some mechanical chores, or receive visits from the so-called loved ones, a film that does not present a difficult plot or a complicated set of characters which demand your full attention.

While it could be argued that there are better alternatives than playing a film in the background, only to forget paying attention to it, NETFLIX has been a faithful provider of content that fits the bill. From its pandemic lifeline in the shape of Tiger King, to the multiple sequels of the horribly unnecessary The Kissing Booth, the streaming service has us covered. With an excessive budget and three of the most charismatic and profitable actors on screen at the moment, it was clear that Red Notice was going to be closer to 6 Underground or Army of the Dead,than to Scorsese’s The Irishman or Fincher’s Mank. However, in the case of Red Notice this is not such a hugely terrible thing as one might imagine, let me explain.

Dwyane Johnson is a muscular mountain of a man with an almost immortal capacity to withstand pain, and so is his character, who also happens to be an FBI profiler. Ryan Reynolds is a witty, white collar criminal with a penchant for puns and improvisation. Gal Gadot plays a femme fatale mastermind that, thanks to the script, we know is noticeably femme, certainly fatale and extremely mastermind, but not much else. It is undoubtedly evident that the story and characters are suited for the three main actors. There is not a single moment in which we question that Johnson is a thoroughbred action hero that is seemingly invincible. There is no time in which we are not amused and entertained by the charismatically humoristic persona of Reynolds. There is not a single occasion in which Gadot does not get all the attention focused on her, commanding the scene and everything around her with her presence, which is magnified by a script that gives her the allure of an invaluable work of art whose only purpose is that of decorating the scenery, like a beautiful MacGuffin instead of a character, which is a shame, as the actress is capable of more than what she has been given here.

The fact that neither the characters nor the story are anything interesting or never seen before might be part of the biggest problem of Red Notice, as by playing to the strengths of its protagonists, there is no room for much else. There are no remarkable scenes -aside from a cameo at the end, which I will not spoil but that was unexpectedly funny-, the action seems like it has been done countless times before, and while there is an abundance of chemistry in the central trio, they do not have enough material to work with and not a single memorable moment when they are by themselves.

In order to appeal to a wider audience, the film is thrilling but not violent. It is funny, but for all the family (think more Free Guy than Deadpool). It tries to be smart and witty, but gives the same impression as that person who has, what can be described as, Wikipedia knowledge. It is a Jack of all trades of a film, tries to be and do many things, but does not succeed at any in particular. You can see that it is well-made and that money has been thrown everywhere to create a globetrotting adventure, but you never feel part of the journey. The film is a predictable succession of scenes in exotically beautiful locations -this is no Jason Bourne film in which we see the real and uglier parts of a city-, always travelling at a speed that feels extremely high, but that is justified, as had the film been any slower, any member of the audience might have had more than enough time to breathe and pinpoint that there are more holes in the script than in a Swiss cheese.

However, this is not a film to get all snarky and underline its flaws; it does not give the impression that it was made to be perfect on the first place, just highly watchable -and rewatchable-. With a reported budget of $200 million, it was evident that Red Notice was going to be a film whose main aim is to entertain and, oh boy, it does so in spades. From the first scenes until the very last, the film is a breezy, no-time-to-stop adventure that on its best moments seemed like the result of mixing Tango & Cash, National Treasure with an episode of Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, for better or worse. It is amusingly enjoyable and simple fun. What it is not is anything fresh or unforgettable. But, perhaps it was never made with those things in mind.

It is discouraging to see that this is film wastes an opportunity to shake the pillars of the genre, becoming another bland entry that is limited to tick boxes instead of thinking outside of the box. All in all, Red Notice is a harmless bit of fun that is difficult to be mad at, just like when your child presents you with a necklace made of macaroni, there might a lot of effort behind its creation, but you might feel disappointed for the waste of pasta.