Role Play (2023)

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.firstshowing.net/2024/review-cuoco-oyelowos-role-play-film-is-not-a
-bad-start-to-2024/ "Role Play follows expectations, both good and bad. While the main performances, particularly from Kaley Cuoco, breathe life into the characters, most of the supporting cast falls prey to uninspired dialogue. The narrative, though formulaic and predictable, maintains a rather lively pace, ensuring a sustained interest. As a few other issues emerge, these are somewhat compensated by the filmmaker's commitment to providing a light-hearted, fun, entertaining movie that aims to offer families a good time without much seriousness." Rating: B-

Anyone remember Henry Goulding's "Assassin Club" (2023)? Well if you add that in with the repetitive bits from "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005) then you will arrive at something akin to this unremarkable thriller. "Emma" (Kaley Cuoco) is married to "Dave" (David Oyelowo) but she has a secret. She's part of an international organisation that gets paid to kill folk. She wants to leave that organisation and so it declares open season. Meantime she and her husband decide to celebrate their anniversary by hooking up in an hotel bar and pretending that they'd never met before - an opportunity for some good on fashioned courting and a few vodka Martinis. Enter the scene saving Bill Nighy as the ostensibly single old fellow alone in the hotel trying to hit on her. Of course, he's not quite what he seems and a slightly comedic scenario ensues. Sadly, though, thereafter this is all just a standard cat and mouse adventure with loads of set piece out of the frying pan into the fire escapades that gradually draw in her unwitting husband, their children and of course some family baggage from her past courtesy of Connie Nielsen. As ever, the menacing baddies couldn't shoot their way out of a rice-paper bag and her ninja skills become the stuff of "Kung Fu" - only without any sense of mystery or subtlety. The acting is stiff and the dialogue must have taken a few more Martinis to concoct before resorting to the "Janet and John" book of college film scripting. I wonder just how many more deadly killers there are lurking around the suburbs of small American towns! Fills the television screen whilst you're doing the ironing, maybe - it certainly does not need your full concentration!

Role Play is a rather tepid affair, that fails to cash in on its comedic potential. There's a lot of scope for comedy in Role Play but the script fails to deliver the laughs. What you get instead, is an exposition driven action film, with a reluctant assassin back story, that's all too familiar. In summary, works as a a simple action film but its not exactly original, nor is it especially funny.