Noah Centineo’s journey from the king of romantic comedies to starring in Netflix spy thriller “Recruit” is a little bit of a bumpy one.
Centineo, who starred in To All of the Boys I’ve Loved Before, is miscast here in a series that’s confused not only in regards to the foremost character but additionally in regards to the genre.
“The Recruit” (now streaming) follows Owen Hendricks (Centineo), a 24-year-old aspiring lawyer who is simply on his second day working for the CIA when his life turns the wrong way up.
He quickly finds himself intrigued by former agency agent Max Melaga (Laura Haddock), who’s imprisoned in Arizona and threatens to show the agency’s secrets unless he’s cleared of the costs. (Owen by chance stumbles across her letter when he’s tasked with sorting mail, as it’s the boring job latest hires get.)
As Owen tries to take care of the situation, he becomes involved in automotive chases, shootouts and eventually torture.
The show’s plot is essentially “a hapless latest guy making his way through the CIA.” It’s hard to define tonally since it seems like a slapstick comedy and has funny moments. Nevertheless it’s also serious about being a serious thriller, and seems to make some half-baked commentary on the CIA and bureaucratic drudgery.
Centineo, who along with his childlike face played an athlete in To All of the Boys I’ve Loved Before, looks odd in a suit as he walks into the office and plays the “adult” role. He’s actually 26, so playing a 24-year-old is sensible. Still, he plays Owen with the identical Golden-Retriever energy he used to play the highschool jock. It’s awkward that he didn’t change his style to accommodate an older character or a change in genre. Seeing him as an adult – even one with loads of Gen Z signposts, including a powerful Instagram presence and goofy roommates – doesn’t seem entirely believable.
The plot gets convoluted as Owen runs from places from Yemen to Phoenix, but he moves at a quick pace. There’s not much consistency in why certain events happen, with automotive chases and guns seemingly added in as a part of a spy thriller script. The “recruit” doesn’t pay much attention to logic.
It is also surprising how little training Owen receives. Unfamiliar with the agency’s foreign travel policy, he nearly gets killed as his associates say in code, “Any more contact about that creaking wheel?” But when Owen answers just by describing his current task, his boss chastises him for being too talkative, although he’s never been told how he should discuss his projects. It isn’t entirely credible that somebody with so little training is thrown into dangerous, very delicate situations.
It could work if the show became a full-fledged, funny comedy about an unskilled man who’s entrusted with dangerous jobs like “MacGruber.” But that is not the case; it tries to have it two ways, equal parts spy thriller and crazy fun, and it doesn’t quite succeed.
The Recruit has some funny moments, but as a complete it is a dud. Centineo appears to be comfortable to complete highschool roles without putting in any work beforehand.