Arnold Schwarzenegger should have held out for a Tyler Sheridan collaboration.
In “FUBAR,” a new Netflix series, he looks a lot like a host of characters he played in the past. Worse, he seems slower.
In the new action drama, he’s a CIA operative who discovers late in life his daughter Emma (Monica Barbaro) is also in the business. Naturally, they’re destined to work together.
First, though, creator Nick Santora takes an awful lot of time letting them dance around the obvious. Schwarzenegger’s Luke Brunner tries to lean into “Sunday Funday Bakeoffs” – something they did when she was a child – but she’s hardly ready to play Prue Leith to his Paul Hollywood. Ultimately, the truth comes out.
Had Sheridan crafted this, Schwarzenegger might have played with his image and poked at it like Kevin Costner does in “Yellowstone” or Sylvester Stallone does in “Tulsa King.” Even giving him culinary expertise could have buffed some of the rough edges that “FUBAR” brings.
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Like many CBS dramas (this practically screams Friday night timeslot), the series doesn’t hit its stride until the second episode. Then, Brunner gets to square off with a bad guy and show his skills.
Barbaro comes to life a little later, but it’s the supporting cast who know how to make this more than a father/daughter “True Lies.” Milan Carter, Fortune Feimster and Jay Baruchel don’t have images to uphold. They can tease and get away with it. Carter, in particular, does. When he’s playing with Schwarzenegger, “FUBAR” seems mildly fresh.
Interestingly, the boldface star has more lines here than he had in most films. He speaks German, as well, and enjoys the disconnect that comes with a generation gap. But “FUBAR” doesn’t craft him as anything he hasn’t already been. Listen to some of the conversations and you’ll swear they’re ones he had with Danny DeVito, Tom Arnold (who appears here) and Jamie Lee Curtis.
While “FUBAR” gets the ‘80s superstar back in the saddle, it should have been attached to a different horse – one that hadn’t already been put out to pasture. This takes too much time to get up to speed.
"FUBAR" airs on Netflix.
