• "Back in Action" is Cameron Diaz's first film role in over a decade.
• Unfortunately, it's a poor comeback vehicle with rough dialogue and a thin plot.
• The film works fine as a casual watch, but not much else.

"Back in Action" is Cameron Diaz's first film role in over a decade. She should have made a better choice for a comeback.

The film, directed by Seth Gordon, is capital-F "Fine" at best and mediocre background watching at worst. Given that this is the movie Jamie Foxx miraculously recovered from a stroke to complete, one would hope the end product inspired stronger enthusiasm.

The aptly titled film stars Diaz and Foxx as Emily and Matt, suburban parents who were elite spies before having their first child and pivoting to coaching soccer and selling puzzles on Etsy. "Back in Action" kicks off 15 years in the past during their last mission together to steal an Industrial Control Systems key (don't worry about it) from a Eastern European crime lord. They succeed, but terrorists attack them on the plane back to safety. Presumed dead, Matt and Emily use the plane crash to disappear and raise the child that Emily has just learned she's carrying.

This opening sequence does little to establish Matt and Emily's relationship, or even their individual characters, past a few entertaining punches, quippy one-liners, and saccharine expressions of sincerity. "My favorite person is about to create my new favorite person," Matt tells Emily, despite having to clarify moments before that they were exclusive.

Their extremely normal life only gets blown up because Matt and Emily are caught on tape beating up a few guys ("BOOMERS WRECK DANCE PARTY") while picking their underage daughter Alice (McKenna Roberts) up from the club. With Alice and their son Leo (Rylan Jackson) in tow, they go on a quest to pick up the ICS key from Emily's mother Ginny (Glenn Close — why not?) and unite their family through espionage. Andrew Scott and Kyle Chandler are also in this film, for some reason, and are mostly wasted in their roles.

Aside from one tepid but somewhat surprising twist, "Back in Action" is a mélange of spy tropes, embarrassingly bad and self-explanatory dialogue, and trite familial conflicts. The film's emotional appeal hinges on Emily's relationships with Alice, who rebels against her for standard Teenage Girl Reasons, and her mother Ginny, whom she hates for being absent in her childhood. Simple friction leads to simple payoffs.

The film's fight sequences slightly redeem it, mostly because it's fun to watch Diaz and Foxx beat up some classic goons in tandem. However, the movie insists on soundtracking those fights to classic hits like Nat King Cole's "L.O.V.E." and Etta James' "At Last," seemingly in a bid to create a romantic, nostalgic atmosphere for its leads. To be fair, they have more chemistry in those moments than literally anywhere else in the film.

In the end, "Back in Action" is an unfortunate comeback choice for Diaz, and its script gives her and Foxx little to stand on through the film's nearly two-hour runtime. For audiences, it's a passable enough choice for a Friday night flick or folding laundry, but not much else.

"Back in Action" is streaming now on Netflix.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed Friday that Democratic senators had sent him a letter alleging "he has a clear and direct interest in obtaining favors" from Donald Trump and is using his donations "to cozy up" to the incoming administration to avoid regulatory scrutiny.

Why it matters: Altman was one of several tech titans who donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration. In a statement to Axios in response to the senators' letter, an OpenAI spokesperson said: "Sam believes that President Trump will lead our country during a pivotal moment for AI and American innovation, and looks forward to working with him and his administration."

• Altman posted the letter on X, adding: "funny, they never sent me one of these for contributing to democrats."

Driving the news: The letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) stated that "million-dollar gifts" to Trump's inaugural fund by Altman and tech firms like Google, Meta, Microsoft and Uber, "raise questions about corruption and the influence of corporate money" on the Trump administration.

• Altman was one of a few tech CEOs who donated personally, rather than via their companies. Apple CEO Tim Cook did the same, as Axios scooped.
• Representatives for Warren and Bennet didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

What they're saying: In the letter, lawmakers said that "the industry's efforts suggest that Big Tech companies are trying to curry favor and skirt the rules."

• The letter includes a list of questions, with a Jan. 25 deadline for Altman to respond. They include: "What is your rationale for these contributions?" and "When and under what circumstances did your company decide to make these contributions to the Trump inaugural fund?"
• In his response, Altman noted that he'd made a personal contribution and thus "i am confused about the questions given that my company did not make a decision."

Flashback: Altman told Fox News in December he would donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, saying he was "eager to support" Trump's efforts to "lead our country into the age of AI."

• He's changed his tune since 2016, when he stated in a post on X that "I am voting against Trump" as "he is unfit to be President and would be a threat to national security."

Between the lines: Trump has vowed to repeal President Biden's AI executive order from 2023 that outlined the steps companies and the government will be directed to take to foster responsible AI.

• YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer adopted a boy named Huxley from China in 2017 and documented it online.
• In 2020, the Stuaffers were criticized after revealing they placed him in a new home.
• In a since-deleted video, the couple said that Huxley was "thriving," and "happy" in his new forever home.

Almost five years after YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer faced waves of backlash for their decision to place their adopted son Huxley in a new home, plenty of questions still linger about the family.

The Stauffers' controversial decision gets renewed attention in the HBO original documentary series "An Update On Our Family," whose title is taken from the couple's infamous since-deleted video of the same name. The three-part docuseries is also inspired by a New York magazine article by Caitlin Moscatello.

The Ohio-based vlogger parents didn't participate in the docuseries, but James regularly posts about his car detailing business on his Stauffer Garage YouTube channel and Instagram account.

Here's what we know about where Huxley is now.

Myka and James Stauffer adopted Huxley, then 2 and a half years old, from China in 2017

The parents of four other children kept their followers updated on their adoption process through YouTube vlogs. After welcoming Huxley into their home, the Stauffers shared his progress as he adjusted to his new life and family.

Their channel swelled to 700,000 subscribers, videos about Huxley were monetized, and they maintained sponsorship deals with brands.

But in 2020, fans noticed that Huxley was absent from their social media content, prompting questions and concerns about what happened to him.

In May of that year, Myka and James revealed that they had placed Huxley in a new home to better support his needs.

Little is known about Huxley's life since he was placed in a new home in 2020

In the since-deleted video that sparked backlash, the couple said that they only learned after bringing Huxley home that he had special needs that they hadn't been told about.

The Stauffers said that Huxley received multiple assessments and evaluations from medical professionals who agreed that he needed a home better equipped to support him.

The couple also said that they were intentionally vague about Huxley's situation because they "didn't want to mess up anything" as he was meeting and spending time with new people so he could find his "forever family."

Myka said that the adoption agency had placed Huxley with a family it thought was "the perfect match." People magazine reported that Huxley has since been renamed.

"He is thriving," Myka said in the video. "He is very happy. He's doing really well. And his new mommy has medical-professional training, and it is a very good fit."

In an Instagram post shared in June 2020, Myka apologized for the "confusion" and "pain" she caused and admitted she was unprepared to properly parent Huxley.

"We love Huxley and know that this was the right decision for him and his future. Praying that Huxley only has the best future in the entire world," she wrote.

The first episode of "An Update On Our Family" is streaming on Max. The remaining episodes will be released weekly through January 29.