Breaking In - Perfectly serviceable

Some of the hardest kinds of movies to review are the ones that aren't really bad or very good but are just serviceable. As in movies that don't have any real sense of identity, style, or essential themes, but are still competently made with the best of intentions that don't offer anything substantial outside of a quick and pleasant distraction for ninety minutes or so. While Breaking In earns lots of bonus points to having a talented black actress in the lead role playing a character who is not only badass but is also sympathetic, it sadly doesn't have much else to bring to the table. 

The story follows a young mother named Shaun (Gabrielle Union) and her two kids as they travel to her recently murdered father's old house located deep in the woods to sell it. Her father was involved in organized crime and rumor has it that he secretly hid away a large sum of cash in the house, further exacerbated by the brand new security system installed in the home as well as a group of thieves breaking into the house to find the safe and make off with the cash. Instead of merely taking the money and walking away, the thieves are now stuck in a standoff against Shaun as they have locked down the house with her kids inside and are now trying to use them as leverage. Instead, they have awakened the beast and mama will stop at nothing to protect her kids. 

So, it's Die Hard meets Panic Room, but without any of its own flare, creative style, or individuality. This is primarily assembly line cinema. 

 The most significant flaw with this movie is that nothing about it stands out. None of the characters get any growth or development outside of their standard and one-note archetypes. The film continually foreshadows things that suggest it's going to be essential or play a significant part in the story, but then they're never brought up again. The protagonist is continually going on about how the bad guys don't know what she's capable of but we never get an idea as to what she means by that. Like, does she have special combat training or something to that effect? We never know. We never even learn what kind of criminal her father was and what kind of an impact that has had on Shaun's life growing up. It's like J.J Abrams tired "Mystery Box" schtick, always hinting at something meaningful and relevant but never paying off in any satisfactory way. 

On the plus side, everyone acting is decent, the cinematography is lovely, the cat & mouse chase sequences are adequately suspenseful, and Gabrielle Union cements herself as a versatile actress who deserves bigger and better roles in the future. 

Breaking In is not a terrible movie, but it's also nothing you will remember an hour later. It'll serve as an okay thing to see on Mothers Day, and that's about it. 

Is this movie worth seeing? 

Maybe

Is it worth seeing in theaters? 

Maybe 

Why? 

While it doesn't have much in the way of texture or personal identity, it does have an adequate story of how badass mothers can be and showcases Gabrielle Union as a genuine movie star. Take Mom to see it this Mothers Day but don't bother getting in on Blu-Ray afterwards. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.