Game Night Review
R: language, sexual references and some violence
Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Aggregate Films, Davis Entertainment,
1 Hr and 40 Minutes
Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein | Writers: Mark Perez
Cast: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, Jesse Plemons, Michael C. Hall, Kyle Chandler
INTRO: When it comes to R rated comedies from Warner Bros. Pictures, they’re hit or miss. Most of the time, they're terrible, but I enjoy them as a guilty pleasure. Sometimes they are actually pretty good,and sometimes they suck so hard there is little to no redeemable quality to them. A thing that I picked up from these films is that they would either be a Gary Sanchez Production or a film from the minds of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein which can be really good ("Horrible Bosses") or really bad ("Vacation"). “Game Night” is in an odd league of its own.
A group of friends meet regularly for their game night and one night they find themselves investigating an actual murder mystery.
THE GOOD
When you have an absurd plot, the best way for it to work is to follow through with its absurdity. The most beneficial thing that "Game Night" has to offer is how much this story follows through with its bizarre premise. When the inciting incident begins, it's easy to buy into the concept because of how much these odd characters are willing to buy into the game they are playing. It’s not that they’re too inept to notice the imminent danger, rather, they’re just too competitive that they’re oblivious to notice that the game is dangerous. These friends are so into Game Night as much as Ed Norton was into fight club because all they do is eat, live, and breathe game night.
This is one of those comedies that doesn’t focus on trying to make you laugh every single minute. It's lack of ad libbing enhances the structure of the story. As this script was not written by Daley/Goldstein, the comedic story elements have more impact on the audience, rather than the slapstick comedy. I’m not saying Daley/Goldstein are terrible screenwriters, but recently their screenplays have been lacking in quality ever since “Cloudy 2,” which succeeded mainly due to the film’s visuals. With the script written by Mark Perez who wrote “Herbie Fully Loaded” and “The Country Bears?!”
Wait, let me get myself together. With Mark Perez's, you have a very tight comedic screenplay that perfectly foreshadows elements and jokes set up at the beginning as one-note sentences only for some of them to follow through as the film progresses. The way the film is layered out, from the weird and whacky characters to the cutaways and gags, this film reminds me of a very long episode of "Family Guy."
I’m serious about these characters being so similar to the characters in "Family Guy." Billy Magnussen’s character is Quagmire because all he thinks about is boning hot girls that he brings along to game nights, but of course, they’re all stupid. Lamorne Morris & Kylie Bunbury's characters are Cleveland and Donna. Who really makes this wacky cast feel whole is Jesse Plemons who might as well be a creepy Joe Swanson, but without being crippled. Jesse Plemons is the creepiest yet most hysterical character in this movie because of how bizarre he is. It's as if he’s playing Todd from "Breaking Bad" all over again but he cranks his creepiness from 7 to 9.
As much as I’m describing the side characters, the film is brilliantly carried by the amazing chemistry of McAdams and Bateman. They aren’t one of those annoying couples that bicker throughout the movie but instead are a couple that plays off of each other and tries to find a solution no matter what. Although Bateman and McAdams are playing their typical character roles, their electrifying dynamic makes not-so-funny jokes into chuckle-worthy moments.
If anything, I think Daley/Goldstein are better directors than writers. Some of the framework is pretty impressive where some of the shots are visually pleasing. There are innovative action sequences that are exciting and yet have you at the edge of your seat.
Before viewing this, I was originally skeptical about these two being the directors for the upcoming Flashpoint film for DC. But now, I'm fully onboard with them going off to adapting it. They have enough stylistic flair to make a really fun feature film no matter what the genre is. "Game Night" often doesn't feature just basic shots of back and forth dialogue. Instead you get impressive one-shots and decent cinematography that elevates the story to be visually cooler than your average studio comedy.
THE BAD
Sometimes, a short gag goes a long way. Like a number of comedies, "Game Night" has the tendency to create a joke and then run it to the ground. At times, it cleverly takes a gag and escalates it to be bigger but without going for the raunchy route. By the way,
THANK GOD THIS MOVIE IS NOT AN R-RATED RAUNCHY COMEDY!
By the third act, the movie delivers a solid twist. But, it's cleverness is immediately diminished when ANOTHER TWIST directly follows! Two minutes later, after one significant story element is revealed, another twist is revealed that adds nothing to the story. Rather it is a ruse to up the runtime. The movie moves at a breakneck pace, but still falls under some of the trappings of other sudio comedies.
LAST STATEMENT
"Game Night" had all the pieces to be only an average studio comedy. But, because of the tightly written script, the funny characters, and cleverly well-choreographed sequences of action, "Game Night" is a fun ride.
Rating: 3.5/5 | 73%
Super Scene: Rachel McAdams singing Semi-Charmed Life / DON'T DROP THE EGG!
