Netflix’s Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry flick The Union is the latest movie in the action-comedy subgenre — and it works because of Wahlberg, Berry and their supporting cast. Action comedies often try so hard to be both cool and funny that many of them fail at either one. In welcome contrast, the actors in The Union have a high degree of self-awareness that makes the film entertaining, even when a stunt or a joke might not land.

There’s no doubt that The Union wants to be cool. The film follows an elite group of government agents, and opens with the prototypical secret agent action sequence that audiences have seen many times before. But once Wahlberg and Berry are on screen together, the movie takes off and never looks back. Whether it gets the sequel it wants is up for debate, yet this movie is a satisfying experience on its own.

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The crux of The Union is the past relationship between Berry’s badass agent Roxanne Hall and Wahlberg’s aimless everyman Mike McKenna. Roxanne and Mike were high school sweethearts, but now while she’s saving the world, his biggest accomplishment is bragging that he slept with his seventh-grade teacher (played by Superman: The Animated Series star Dana Delany in a great cameo, with Broadway hitmaker Alex Brightman appearing as her son, whom Mike awkwardly runs into). The two are reunited when Roxanne needs a fresh face — the identities of all the government agents are at risk of being exposed, so the best person to save the day is someone not on that list.

It’s the kind of slightly farfetched premise that’s expected in this subgenre. But it also means that the success of the movie rests on the viewer caring about the relationship between Mike and Roxanne; if the audience doesn’t believe they still have chemistry after over two decades apart, then there’s no reason to watch the movie other than to see things blow up. Luckily, Wahlberg and Berry have an easy, no-nonsense banter as they already know each other; the credits include a few charming photos of them together. That familiarity helps create the dynamic that Mike and Roxanne need.

Beyond that, all of the four lead actors know the movie they’re in. Not only do they not take themselves too seriously, they appear to actively enjoy playing against audience expectations. Knowing how much of a hero Wahlberg has been in films like Lone Survivor and Collateral, it’s fun to see Mike messing up as Roxanne tries to train him, and The Union also serves as a reminder of his extensive comedic resume. Of all the folks he’s played opposite, though, his pairing with Berry is one of his best. Roxanne has all the coolness that audiences expect of a Halle Berry character or a globe-trotting agent; it’s clear why Mike would still be easily swayed by her. Simultaneously, Berry is wonderful at maintaining Roxanne’s vulnerability, and not just in scenes with Mike. She provides layers to the character that make the movie better.

The duo are admirably backed up by Mike Colter as Roxanne’s colleague Nick Faraday and J.K. Simmons as the obligatory boss figure. Both actors are clearly having fun with their roles; Colter is beloved as Luke Cage and for his world-saving heroics in the Paramount+ series Evil, but he leans completely into Nick’s heel turn to make the character actually enjoyable. Colter’s reaction when Nick is nearly killed by a flying car is one of the best lines in the movie. Simmons, meanwhile, is hilarious every time he says anything; the Whiplash star is a master of deadpan and sarcastic humor. The Union might be an action movie, but it gives off almost 1980s road trip comedy vibes, because it’s one of those films where everyone is having a good time. And because they’re having a good time, everybody watching is, too.

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There are very few legitimate surprises in The Union. Anyone who’s watched an action comedy in the last decade knows what to expect from the script by Joe Barton and David Guggenheim. Guggenheim previously created Designated Survivor, which moved to Netflix after the political thriller’s first two seasons aired on ABC. He and Barton hit every beat that viewers will be looking for, from the charmingly awkward training sequences, to the necessary one-liners, to the fourth-act twist that reveals Nick to be the real villain. Audiences never really fear for Mike’s life, because they know that the movie’s real resolution is Mike and Roxanne rekindling their relationship. But what The Union lacks by providing all the comforts of the subgenre, it makes up for with pure self-deprecation.

The appeal of the film comes from watching these actors who are so great at being tough, typical heroes go in the exact opposite direction, as if everyone — including Netflix viewers — is in on the joke. Once Nick’s villainy is revealed, Colter makes him into a live-action version of Archer double agent Conway Stern. Wahlberg has done the “buddy cop” movie before with The Other Guys, but in The Union he’s unafraid to be the guy who’s the most clueless one in the room. Berry comes across as incredibly relaxed and happy in the role of Roxanne; even when the character is in full spy mode, she still has a spring in her step.

The production follows their lead and finds small ways to send up what a spy movie is supposed to look and feel like. Director Julian Farino also worked on Entourage — the hit HBO series loosely based on Wahlberg’s experiences as an up-and-coming actor — and that same tone is in this movie. There are no big, flashy cuts and aside from the opening sequence, there’s not a lot of dazzling spycraft. The biggest issue is an over-reliance on needle drops, as the pop songs aren’t necessary. No one is rewriting the manual, but everybody is pleasantly ignoring it.

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Another complaint with The Union is the open ending that so many movies have as they try to parlay their way into a sequel. When Mike is reunited with Roxanne at a wedding, the duo find their boss waiting for them in a hallway, wanting to send them to Marrakesh as Mike is now an official member of the organization. The movie deserves a better ending; while it’s great (and required) for Mike and Roxanne to get a chance at rekindling their romance, that moment is the emotional note to conclude on, instead of already pushing them and the viewers to look ahead. And that choice by Barton and Guggenheim undercuts what makes this film worthy of viewers’ time.

In an entertainment landscape increasingly dominated by franchises and adaptations, The Union succeeds because of its complete lack of any agenda or any pretentiousness. It’s not trying to set up some complex mythology and it has no underlying message. The point is simply for the Netflix audience to enjoy themselves — to share in the fun everyone else is having. The biggest reason to make a sequel is the fact that up until the ending, no one cares about one. It’s some of the best comedic work that Berry, Wahlberg, Simmons and Colter have all done, and the kind of movie that should be enjoyed with a bowl of popcorn and some close friends. The Union may not break Netflix viewership records or win any more Academy Awards for its cast, but it’s a reminder of how fun and charming movies can be.

The Union premieres Aug. 16, 2024 on Netflix.