RSVP (2024) Movie Review

Starring Natasha Marc and Robert Ri’Chard, in this BET+ release, a man decides to get revenge for his fallen wife, and you’re sadly left taking his word due to a lack of character development.

Plot Summary

Maurice Wright is in mourning. A year ago, his wife, Alexandra, died in a car accident, and since that day, his grief has overcome him. However, on the anniversary of her death, Maurice invites friends, confidants, family, and some employers to an isolated mansion and decides to issue judgement on his guest.

But Tesha seemingly won’t go down without a fight.

Cast and Characters

Character’s Name	Actor’s Name
Maurice Wright	Robert Ri’chard
Alexandra Wright	Tiffany Snow
Tesha Coleman	Natasha Marc
Francis	Mike Ferguson

Maurice Wright

The President and Founder of Point Blank Investments, when we meet Maurice he is a man in mourning, on the edge, and with the money to execute his whims, he has lost his mind.

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

Alexandra Wright

Alexandra was the 32-year-old CEO of Point Blank Investments, but between the downfall of her marriage and business, her mental health deteriorated, she gained a drinking problem, and the combination ended her life.

Tesha Coleman

With losing her parents and being raised in Crenshaw, Tesha feels she has a story to tell. However, with a chip on her shoulder, martial arts training, and being unable to focus on her book enough to even come up with a title, Tesha has put off finishing her first book for quite a while.

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

Francis

Francis is Maurice’s enforcer who keeps the others Maurice hired in line.

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

Good If You Like

• Over the top antagonist and protagonist who seem able to handle anything thrown at them

Similar To This

1. The Reading: Similar style of things being a bit over the top

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Highlights

The Fight Scenes

I won’t pretend that careful camera shots and quick cuts don’t sometimes take away from the many battles Tesha gets in. However, between Maurice’s main enforcer, Francis, to one of Tesha’s final fight sequences where various blades are used, certain moments come off cool. Unfortunately, they don’t have the oomph or sound effects to put them over, but “RSVP” does its best to compensate by invoking music and filters over the scenes that can trigger memories of “Kill Bill” or even Blaxploitation classics.

On The Fence

Wishing They Gave More Depth To Maurice And The Victims

When it comes to “RSVP,” there are a lot of opportunities to present some form of gray to characters and the story, but that doesn’t happen. Maurice has been driven mad due to his wife’s death, but we don’t dig deeply into his relationship with his wife and his influence on her drinking and depression. It’s always everyone else’s fault, and because Alexandra is removed from the film early on, she can’t speak for herself, and we don’t get flashbacks to fill in the blanks, either.

This makes most of the characters paper-thin since everything relies on Maurice’s narrative and him telling viewers what this person or that person did. Not once is anyone allowed to defend themselves. Thus, you don’t get the feeling that they are getting their comeuppance. If anything, you’re left wondering if this is the sequel to something, for it feels like you’re missing the plot.

The Torture Feels Tame

Are there scenes with blood, torture, and Maurice getting his form of justice? Yes. But none of it is gruesome or leaves your skin crawling. If you have watched and gotten adjusted to films like “SaW,” then what you see in “RSVP” is going to feel like nothing.

Tesha Becomes An Afterthought

While Tesha is fighting to survive, she isn’t who or what, leaves a lasting impression because of how overwhelming Maurice’s revenge plot is. All you end up thinking about is Maurice and what could or should have been done with his character and story. Leaving Tesha, at best, a middle person, someone who ushers you to Maurice’s story, and outside of when she is kicking butt, she fades into the background.

Background Information

Film Length	1 Hour 25 Minutes
Date Released	May 30, 2024
Distributor	BET Plus
Director(s)	Thomas Walton
Writer(s)	Quinn Early, Thomas Walton
Based On Work By	N/A
Genre(s)	Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Content Rating	Rated TV-MA
Content Information
Dialog	Cursing
Violence	Gun Violence, Blood, Torture, Notable Fight Scenes
Sexual Content	N/A
Miscellaneous	Drinking, Depiction of Mental Illness