True Memoirs of an International Assassin is the latest title on the list of original Netflix movies. Recently, Netflix has released original movies like ARQ, Mascots, and The Fundamentals of Caring, with many more to come. The company has stated that they want to focus on adding even more original content. It seems that the majority of their original series are very popular, but their movies seem to be more hit and miss. And unfortunately, True Memoirs Of An International Assassin is another miss for Netflix and their original movies.

The Netflix Original Movies Formula

Unlike Netflix hit series like House of Cards or Orange is the New Black, their movies often are formulaic and offer nothing an audience hasn’t seen before. However, that’s not always a bad thing. Movies can be formulaic, but if they deliver what people expect from the particular genre, then it can still be a success. In The Fundamentals of Caring, the formula was the usual for sentimental feel-good movies; but it offered a plot that had not been told before. In addition, the actors delivered exactly what audiences were looking for.

ARQ was another addition to the “time lapse” subgenre of action, and although they didn’t show audiences anything new, they told a solid story that offered plenty of action. True Memoirs told a story that has been told before, almost every scene was predictable, and for an action-comedy, the film delivered little of either.

The Plot

Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop) portrays Sam Larson, an author who writes a fictional novel about, as the title indicates, the memoirs of an international assassin. His book is published as a true story and he ends up being mistaken for a contract killer. He winds up being kidnapped and taken out of the country and thrown into an assassination plot.

The Delivery

The movie unfolds as one would expect, offering the usual tropes of similar movies like Tropic Thunder and Netflix’s The Do-Over. There are definitely some funny scenes, as anything featuring Kevin James will offer that. But for those searching for movies that present constant laugh-out-loud moments, keep searching. The movie is more humorous than outright funny, which would be fine if it focused on more action, but spoiler — it doesn’t.

There are action-packed scenes, but not enough of them. And if you’ve seen the trailer, then you’ve seen glimpses of almost every action sequence that the film has to offer. The film also feels like it drags on too long, which it shouldn’t since it is only 98 minutes. It feels as if it didn’t know what it wanted to be. RogerEbert.com explains why this is one of the more disappointing additions to original Netflix movies.

“The bigger problem is a distinct lack of actual laughs from those jokes, even the first time we hear them. I chuckled once or twice at Riggle & Howze, but it’s tempting to not even categorize the film as a comedy. It’s a melting pot of a diversion, too thin in any specific genre department to really register. It’s not action-packed enough, not funny enough, and the characters aren’t memorable enough.”

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Is It Worth Watching?

The new Kevin James flick isn’t the worst addition to Netflix movies, but it’s by no means exceptional. If you’re looking for a movie to fold laundry to, have on the background while cleaning, or you are home sick, then you might enjoy it just fine. But if you are looking for Netflix movies that will deliver high-quality action or comedy, you are better off skipping True Memoirs of an International Assassin.

[Featured Image by Netflix]