The Out-Laws is a Happy Madison Production movie. While Adam Sandler is not present onscreen, his spirit looms large. The jokes are funny, but not wholly original or unexpected. The physical comedy is juvenile, but Adam DeVine’s commitment makes up for the cringe-worthy moments. Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin deserve so much more and have so much more to give, but the script — by Evan Turner and Ben Zazove — doesn’t give them anything to utilize their skills and star power properly. The Out-Laws is predictable and at times lazy. But as lazy as it may be, there is a decent comedic backbone that carries it to its inevitable end. Going in with low expectations is probably best because you will come out of it not feeling like you wasted 95 minutes of your day.

The Out-Laws follows Owen Browning (Adam DeVine), a straight-laced bank manager about to marry a cool yoga instructor, Parker McDermott (Nina Dobrev). Owen is eager to have the best wedding possible, so he is over the moon when Parker informs him that her elusive parents, Billy and Lily McDermott (Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Berkin), will attend the wedding. When they arrive during the wedding week, the differences between them could not be more apparent, but Owen is determined to get along with the super cool duo. That is, until the infamous Ghost Bandits rob his bank. The robbers know too much about his security system, leading Owen to believe that his soon-to-be-in-laws are the Ghost Bandits. He is right, and Owen is now tangled up in their dangerous lives, hunted down by a former acquaintance of theirs.

Tyler Spindel is back at the helm after The Wrong Missy, another poorly received Happy Madison comedy. Spindel’s directing is sturdy, but there is little effort made to elevate the plodding script that is the comedic equivalent of pulling teeth. Furthermore, every aspect of the production is just bland. The third act picks up a bit, but nothing quite shakes off the mediocrity. However, Spindel might not be entirely to blame — bare-bones and uninteresting directing is a staple for a Happy Madison production. Spindel is doing the best he can, and there are shadowy hints of a director willing to do more for his film. Sadly, the material at hand does not inspire much.

DeVine is a good enough lead; his quirky, goodie-two-shoe shtick is tiring, but he makes it work. Dobrev is utterly wasted, despite probably being more well-known than DeVine. There is something to be said about how little she matters in the story, as Turner and Zazove do very little to endear us to her or build her relationship with her parents. She feels like a fourth wheel, which signifies the film's failure in building the family dynamics in a way that makes the McDermont charade more funny or intriguing.

As Owen is the lead character, his family dynamics are fleshed out well enough, but the script fails to give us much to laugh at. Early on, Owen compares his parents to Stalin and Lizzie Borden, but the script doesn’t give us a real reason why. Yes, they are annoying, but they play into an archetype that is all too common. Julie Hagerty and Richard Kind are great casting choices, but they appear to be sleepwalking through the movie when we know they can do better.

As for the ensemble, the movie will induce many eye-rolls as it reduces actresses Poorna Jagannathan and The Wrong Missy breakout star Lauren Lapkus to horny antagonists, but that's not all too surprising. Lil Rel Howery and Laci Mosley earn the biggest laughs of the movie and could have easily been the leads due to their magnetic charm and comedic chops. But they're merely the funny Black people that only exist in the periphery of the film's first and final acts. Michael Rooker's desperate FBI character feels totally miscast, as Rooker acts with little enthusiasm.

At its core, the film is innocuous. Sure, it is an R rated comedy, but aside from a few folks getting shot in the head, the violence is at a minimum and is played for laughs, the sex jokes earn nothing more than a chuckle, and the language is mild. DeVine is entertaining enough, and the gag of watching Bronson and Barkin playing cool criminals can intrigue just about anyone. For all its flaws, The Out-Laws will win over those who flock to Happy Madison’s movies time after time, even if you'll promptly forget what you have watched.

The Out-Laws is now streaming on Netflix. It is 95 minutes long and rated R for language throughout, violence, sexual material and brief drug use.