The story revolves around Emma who leads a double life. To the outside world, she is a loving wife to Dave and a mother to two kids. However, she also secretly works as an assassin. Her frequent “business trips” create a rift in her family life, leading to missed anniversaries and strained attempts to maintain a connection with her loved ones.
In an effort to rekindle their relationship, Emma and Dave decide to engage in a role-playing game, meeting at a hotel as strangers. This game takes a dramatic turn when Emma’s two worlds collide, causing chaos and forcing her to flee to Europe. She must then fight to secure a normal and safe life for her family.
Cast
Kaley Cuoco as Emma Brackett
David Oyelowo as Dave Brackett
Bill Nighy as Bob Kellerman
Connie Nielsen as Gwen Carver
Rudi Dharmalingam as Rajendra 'Raj' Bakshi
Lucia Aliu as Caroline Brackett
Regan Bryan-Gudgeon as Wyatt Brackett
Simon Delaney as Toby Berman
Sonia Henry as Karen Shah
Jade-Eleena Dregorius as Ji
Julia Schunevitsch as Salas
Stephanie Levi-John as Molly
Steffen Jung as Carlo
Betty Kaplan as Bartender Chazz
Dong Hyun Yoon as Gorman
Matthias Schmidt as Kobel
Moritz Berg as Bartender Berlin
Angus McGruther as Amadi
Dominic Holmes as Meyer
Jonathan Failla as Driver - Berlin Airport
Stacy Thunes as female Airline Employee
Cornell Adams as Doorman
Steven Stalder as Sovereign Driver
Erkan Sulcani as Bouncer
Production
In July 2020, it was announced that StudioCanal and The Picture Company had acquired Role Play, a thriller spec script written by Seth Owen, based on an original idea by George Heller, to be produced by Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona.[4] In July 2021, it was announced that Kaley Cuoco was in negotiations to star in the film, as well as produce alongside Heineman and Rona.[5] In October 2021, it was reported that Thomas Vincent would direct the film, and Cuoco's roles as actor and producer were also confirmed;[6] Cuoco would be producing though under her banner Yes, Norman Productions.[1]
In June 2022, it was announced that David Oyelowo was cast as Cuoco's character's husband,[7] and Billy Bob Thornton was cast as a "mysterious stranger who encounters the couple".[8] In July 2022, it was announced that Bill Nighy had replaced Thornton, who had to leave the film due to a scheduling conflict.[9] Connie Nielsen was also cast.[10]
Principal photography began in July 2022 at Babelsberg Studio in Berlin, Germany.[9]
Release
In June 2022, it was reported that Amazon Prime Video was in final negotiations to release the film in the United States and several international territories.[7] The sale was confirmed that same month.[8]
Role Play was released by the platform on January 12, 2024.[1]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 27% of 45 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10.[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 38 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[12]
Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote: "Luckily, Role Play is handled lightly enough by Vincent's direction and Seth Owen's script that we never feel the need to take it very seriously. Which is fortunate, because otherwise we'd have to ponder why we’re rooting for an amorally ruthless hitwoman anyway".[3]
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