Say what you will about late-stage I.P. cinema, but there is something surprisingly funny about “Matchbox: The Movie,” a film that constantly tries to prove that you’re indeed watching a movie about the Mattel-brand toy cars. Seemingly afraid of being labeled an offshoot of the “Fast and Furious” franchise, “Matchbox” reminds its audience, repeatedly, at its outset that other modes of transportation do in fact exist, and are even used by its characters.
There is Aimee (Jessica Biel), who hops out of a racecar and into an ambulance (“Somebody’s got to pay the bills!”); there is, in succession, an excavator, a helicopter and a moped each operated by the film’s ensemble. There is a close-up of a matchbox being twiddled in hand. It’s all startlingly schematic even for a film that’s titled “Matchbox: The Movie.” Things become serviceable when it gets past the self-justification and just leans into its cars-go-boom appeal.
Here, “Fast” alum John Cena plays Sean, a covert agent who unwittingly gets his childhood friends involved in a high-stakes mission involving a nuclear warhead. Directed by the stuntman-turned-director Sam Hargrave, there are some hefty action pieces and its supporting stars, particularly Sam Richardson, can briefly elevate its jokes.
This adaptation of a brand lacking a distinct conceptual identity was perhaps always doomed. But there’s an alternate version that could have exploited this fact and went full-blown “Spy” (2015), going goofy to poke at its own absurdities. At its best, “Matchbox” briefly goes there — it just can’t commit to a new track.
Matchbox the Movie Rated PG-13 for violence and salty language. Running time: 2 hours 6 minutes. Watch on Apple TV.
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