Back In Action: Matt & Emily’s CIA Jobs Explained

In Netflix's Back in Action, Emily (Cameron Diaz) and Matt (Jamie Foxx) were spies at one point, but it's a little more difficult to describe the specifics of their CIA work. Emily and Matt were attempting to conceal their past as spies from their kids, Alice (played by McKenna Roberts) and Leo (played by Ryan Jackson), at the beginning of Cameron Diaz's return film. However, by the end of Back in Action, their kids had not only learned about their CIA work but had also become actively involved in their espionage efforts and had met several of the Back in Action cast members.

Matt and Emily did not go into all the specifics of their previous positions, but they did reveal that they were once spies. Their espionage days were somewhat hazy, but it was probably better that they kept their children in the dark about the particular risks and difficulties that came with their job. Although it might not have made much sense in Back in Action, Matt's quick explanation of their work title gave a decent overview of the type of espionage they conducted fifteen years prior to the birth of their children.

Matt and Emily served as CIA's Quick Reaction Unofficial Cover Agents.

Before becoming parents, Matt and Emily had to tell Alice and Leo who they were after their heated argument at the gas station. According to Matt, he and Emily were classified as CIA cover agents known as QRNs, or Quick Reaction Non-Officials. That implied that they were essentially spies in the strictest sense of the word, as Matt also clarified. The CIA dispatched Emily and Matt to carry out undercover espionage against American adversaries, such as information collection, asset retrieval, or some other probably unlawful activity.

The term "Quick Reaction" describes an undercover agent who is prepared to enter an operation at any time. For Emily and Matt, that meant having cover stories ready and booking a hotel a few miles from the celebration. According to Time, "non-official cover" indicates that they lacked official employment in the US government. That basically means that the U.S. government would deny any participation with them if they were ever apprehended and charged with espionage. While official operatives would have some degree of diplomatic immunity, Matt and Emily would have been subject to any legal consequences—including execution—without any assistance from the US.

What Matt and Emily Did After Quitting the CIA in Secret

Both Matt and Emily had quite normal careers and fairly normal lifestyles after leaving their lives as Quick Reaction Non-Official cover operatives. Emily said to Chuck (Kyle Chandler) that she sold personalized puzzles on Etsy to earn a living. Since Matt never specifically said what he did for a living, it is a little more difficult to determine his occupation. He might be a stay-at-home father, but he probably worked in an office. In addition to being at home during the middle of a weekday when Chuck paid him a visit, Matt was solely seen as Alice's soccer team coach.

Although selling personalized puzzles online doesn't seem like a viable way for Matt and Emily's family to make ends meet, their prior employment may play a role. As QRNs, Emily and Matt probably earned a respectable living and were able to accumulate a sizeable amount of savings prior to having children. Matt might have been able to become a full-time father with their combined funds and Emily's earnings from her Etsy shop. As an alternative, Matt might get paid for his coaching work. Anyway, Matt's and Emily's work histories in Back in Action were somewhat peculiar.