There’s something cathartic about watching Mark Wahlberg play a man living a small life that’s not exactly considered an ideal lifestyle. In the film, he plays a New Jersey construction worker who sleeps with his seventh-grade English teacher, lives with his mother, and uses a screwdriver to start his car. Although he doesn’t exactly have his life together, he’s content and moves with confidence. When his friend mockingly asks him if he should set him up with his grandmother’s friends because he’s dating his teacher, Mike doesn’t bat an eyelid, but says, “Actually, I don’t mind dating your grandmother.” His witty and unwavering faith in the face of ridicule makes Mike a character we can’t help but root for. In another scene, Rox belittles him when she asks him to thank her for rescuing him from his “small life.” He replies, “It may not be perfect, but it’s honest,” and that stays with us for a long time because Wahlberg touches us beyond the screen and makes his character the best experience in the film.

As for romance or action, The Union doesn’t try to be that original. A crucial device containing confidential information is the target of nefarious organizations, and our heroes Mike and Roxanne must race against time to retrieve it. While the action sequences are well-executed, the narrative as a whole lacks originality. The budding romance between the two leads is predictable. Although the film introduces a surprise with altered character arcs, such attempts are overshadowed by its focus on extended action sequences that ultimately feel drawn out.

At the end of the day, The Union serves its purpose of entertainment. We see Wahlberg and Berry leap from one building to another, and it also makes us laugh with quirky one-liners, like when Mike says of his relationship with his father, “Well, he’s dead now; so we fight a lot less.” But the film’s attempts to balance action, comedy and romance are uneven, resulting in an entertaining but rather forgettable experience.