Role Play (2024) – Movie Review

Plot Summary

Emma and Dave are married and have two kids, one from Dave’s previous relationship. Both are busy, to the point Emma forgets their anniversary, but they are partners and push through. However, as Dave discovers Emma is a hitwoman, things shift as he is forced to learn who she is and deal with a sudden threat to his and his children’s lives.

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing (Occasional)
• Violence: Blood (Including Showing Wound), Weapon Violence (Type: Guns)
• Sexual Content: Nothing Notable
• Miscellaneous: Drinking, Drug Use (Type: Poisoning)

General Information

Director(s)	Thomas Vincent
Screenplay By	Andrew Baldwin, Seth W. Owen
Based On Work By	N/A
Date Released	January 12, 2024
How To Watch	Prime Video
Genre(s)	Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Film Length	1 Hour 40 Minutes
Content Rating	Rated R
Noted Characters and Cast
Emma	Kaley Cuoco
Dave	David Oyelowo
Bob	Bill Nighy

Character Descriptions

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.

Emma (Kaley Cuoco)

Raised in an organization that does contract kills, Emma has been doing her best to maintain her cover and make it into her real life for almost a decade. However, things are coming to the point where she realizes if she wants to make a home with Dave, she has to address those in the home she has been running from.

Dave (David Oyelowo)

A simple man, who loves his wife, that questions all the drama that has suddenly come to his doorstep as Emma gets discovered during a date night.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Don’t Let Go.”

Bob (Bill Nighy)                  

Bob is a man who works in finance and is looking to make a major deal happen.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Living.”

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

Highlights

The Action  Scenes Are Enjoyable

The best thing about “Role Play” is Emma’s action scenes, especially one of the final ones in the movie. Now, are they memorable, worth putting on a pedestal, or anything of that nature? No. However, for this movie, as an individual, seeing Cuoco whipping ass is a highlight.

Low Points

Lack of Chemistry As A Couple

I feel like Oyelowo and Cuoco are a strange match, and I would love to see the notes of whoever thought they had chemistry. That is assuming that was even factored in.

But this is a low point because, as much as this is a comedy, you’d think the core relationship wouldn’t be a laughing matter. That it would ground things, as Emma was trying to leave the dysfunctional life she grew up in behind for normalcy.

Yet, with Cuoco having more chemistry with Bill Nighy’s character than David Oyelowo, it makes me wonder if he may not be geared toward romantic comedies.

On The Fence

The Background Feels A Bit Rushed

Perhaps part of the reason we can’t get into Emma and Jack as a couple is because, when it comes to character development in “Role Play,” everything is rushed. Its main focus is the easy hook of a contract killer trying to get out of the game permanently. As for the more challenging ways to get people invested? There is a meek attempt, at best.

Jack and Emma’s relationship? The kids are put in play to make them look like a family, far more than the two actors looking like a credible couple. Going into how the relationship started, Emma’s background, anything you could think of, is handled with a few lines of dialog like an obligation.

Which, again, you can see that all involved know what the audience came for, so why pursue making “Role Play” deeper than it needed to be? But in taking that path, I feel like they made it so this will become just another title on Prime Video that is forgotten as soon as something new comes out.

Good If You Like

• Simple action movies

Recommendations

If you like this movie, we recommend:

1. The Marsh King’s Daughter

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