In the realm of viewing films, expectations can be strength or a weakness. Before I went out of my couch to watch Role Play, a movie with an interesting story line and providing some entertainment, I automatically expected it to be a case of a film that follows the most basic and dry plot and the best I could hope for is to have a good laugh. I was also looking forward to Kaley Cuoco who played the title role because I loved her in The Big Bang Theory and wanted to see how she would fit into an action comedy. And what I saw on the screen was exactly what I thought it would be. For good or ill, Role Play was as uncreative as I expected; it did not offer a plot different from many spy-comedy-action thrillers.
Emma (played by Kaley Cuoco) and his husband, Dave (David Oyelowo), have some seven years of a marriage which weaves them together very closely. Things, however, are rather complex. She is in fact, an international assassin for hire with a bounty on her head. This is a fact that Dave continuously lets her hide. Continually, the writers, Andrew Baldwin and Seth W. Owen, use a very predictable, familiar template of spy action flicks to craft many of the story lines. The shooting for this film has been stylised in such a warm tone that it really contrasts the action on screen.
As events develop, humour is rather difficult to find in this movie, but the involvement is kept through the fast rhythm of the direction by Thomas Vincent (Karnaval, Mister Bob, The New Life of Paul Sneijder). Roderick and Ellen were the only characters with personality. Other than this, Role Play was a generic movie with a generic story. With regard to tone, I find no issues with it being constantly misleading or contradictory as it doesn’t come across as anything complicated or offensive. It is not particularly striking in one element, however it meets the goals that were set.
Let us take a look into the performances in Role Play Cuoco and Oyelowo are both rather good performers, bringing to the story the required chemistry, banter, and romance. In particular, I find this lead actress to have a strong and attractive impact. However, another disappointment creeps in as I see that most of her emotional nuances are yet to be explored. Cuoco has this limited ability to express more profound emotions through her work, which makes me wish for a more passionate portrayal, but unfortunately the scripts never seem to provide that opportunity.
Role Play Review
On the other hand, however, the supporting characters remain in mediocrity, and their depictions are nothing but dull and lifeless. The only exception to this is the ever-charismatic Bill Nighy playinhg Bob, he only appears on screen for a few minutes, and his best moment is in the sequence of Role Play that has some funny moments. Unfortunately, the figurative remainder of the supporting cast does not leave a warm impression as well because of the clumsy script which restricts their shine potential. Besides this and as with every other movie, there were also some minor logical nitpicks around some logical reasons behind the protagonist’s decisions and the waiting for some plot elements to take place. Some of these holes, while in some ways quite conspicuous, do not spoil the overall pleasure from the viewing process, and this is more then reasonable because of the simple fact that the plot of the movie has some comedic elements. It is the kind of movie which does not expect its audience to be too analytical as it does exactly what it intended to do which is to entertain its audience even if the depiction is a rehash from thousands of movies that have come out before it.
It is for this reason that I expect that Role Play will allow the audience and critics for instance to watch the film in such a way that they have their own imagined ideas of how it should have been. This is in contrast to Viewing it in the light of what the director, the screenplay, producers, and the stars acted. Viewers who may want the idea to take a dark, bloody, violent turn which the creators never even conceived will no doubt be left dispirited, when every last marketing element has made the comedy of the movie apparent. It is a mystery spy thriller with humor that never takes itself seriously but intermingles with all of the above. And that is perfectly fine.
Conclusions
In Role Play, the good and the bad, suffice it to say, It delivers. This, especially the main performances of Kaley Cuoco who revivifies the character, is not shared by the majority of the supporting actors who are mostly one note expository. The structure, though formulaic and requiring no higher order thinking, is continuously engaging due to the pace of the film which is rather fast. As a few other issues emerge, these are somewhat more than balanced by the fact that the director was determined to make a comedy that was meant to be entertaining and wasn’t to be taken too seriously – a movie offering some good family time.
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