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Similar to the traditional scary movie, the standard for action comedies has significantly decreased. As long as the main characters don’t completely fail, it is deemed acceptable. These films follow a classic date-night formula, catering to both male and female audiences. Typically, they feature attractive actors exchanging witty remarks and dodging gunshots to popular music. This setup allows for the actors to showcase both their funny and tough sides.
The magic seen in the 2005 film Mr & Mrs Smith, which has had a significant impact on the genre in the past two decades (likely influenced by 1994’s True Lies), has been lacking in its copycat films. Last year’s disappointing Ghosted, starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, served as a cautionary example of what not to do in a year filled with an abundance of similar films. Starting off the new year with another film featuring a male-female pairing and a spy/assassin is not the most exciting prospect, but with many more to come in the next 12 months (such as Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz in Back in Action, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in The Fall Guy, and Donald Glover’s Mr & Mrs Smith TV series), it’s important to focus on the positive aspects.
In Amazon’s Role Play, the success is more like bronze, as it manages to avoid the usual atrocities seen in similar films. This can be attributed to the star power that often saves these types of films. Although the stars in this film may not be as big in the industry, their energy is enough to carry the movie, making it a refreshing sprint instead of a mundane sleepwalk. This seems to be a familiar approach for Kaley Cuoco, an actress known for her roles in sitcoms, who received unexpected recognition for her work in The Flight Attendant and has been trying to replicate that success ever since. This mix of comedy and thriller was also present in her next project, The Man from Toronto, and her most recent show, Based on a True Story.
She is attempting once more in this scenario, portraying a mother from the suburbs who also happens to be a globetrotting assassin. She keeps this aspect of her life hidden from her husband, played by David Oyelowo. However, the all-consuming nature of her job begins to strain their relationship. After she forgets their anniversary, they decide to liven things up by engaging in role play at a city hotel. They plan to meet in the lobby, pretend to be strangers, and take things to a room. But when an intrusive stranger, portrayed by Bill Nighy, interferes, things take a turn for the worse.
The following contains the usual elements – a gunfight, a pursuit, a mysterious group – but lacks the unexpected and convincing justification for its existence. It’s a satisfactory rendition of this type of film – it’s not completely lacking in humor or coherence – but it fails to leave a lasting impression. I often forgot that I was watching a standalone production and instead felt like I was watching a pilot for a potential TV series. Perhaps by the end of the season, the purpose of revisiting this story will become clear.
In the film Based on a True Story, Cuoco struggles with balancing the silly and serious aspects of her character. However, her performance is commendable and she shares great chemistry with Oyelowo, who fully commits to his role. Unfortunately, the lack of depth and complexity in the script prevents their characters from fully coming to life on screen. While Role Play may not be a complete failure, it falls short of being a success due to the current state of action comedy films.
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On January 12th, Role Play will be accessible on Amazon Prime.
Source: theguardian.com
