mailed-in

comparative more mailed-in · superlative most mailed-in

1. Done with a lack of enthusiasm; Half-hearted.

   This was just a waste of a remake. Amber Heard gave the most mailed-in performance I’ve ever seen.

   2021 February 18, Realityczech (commenter), “The Stand Is Half of a Great Television Series”, in Tor

   2 more examples

   Benedict Cumberbatch's mailed-in performance as the disinterested wyrm is a bit disappointing and far from the fearsome foe found in the original book.

   2022 August 15, Izsak Barnette, “The Middle Earth Masterpieces: Ranking the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Films”, in Tilt Magazine

   That might sound a little harsh, but the truth is that this movie is one of those that a lot of people should be able to recognize as a mailed-in attempt at something that could have loosely been called an appealing story had the writer decided to go back and, with their eyes open, find the glaring inaccuracies and inconsistencies that they’d included in the story.

   2022 September 22, “Movie Review: Kill Chain”, in TV Overmind

   Synonyms: lacklustre