Rachel McAdams Jason Bateman Jesse Plemons Kyle Chandler
This is a silly movie, and if you’re in a silly
mood and easily go along with most comedies you see, you might like it. It comes across first as a TV sit-com,
then moves into what is supposed to be a thriller, then finally devolves into
the absurd. I think the writer
Mark Perez intended for the script to move smoothly between couples’
conversations, comedy, and life-threatening chills. But the conversations come across as hackneyed, the comedy
not funny (unless you like the kind that is catty, mean, or demeaning), and the
thriller parts become anti-climactic “gotcha” moments. And the insertion of serious talks
about such things as having a baby, and infidelity in the midst of a crisis is
disjointedly unreal. Perhaps some
will see Game Night as a spoof on
mystery/horror films, but I imagine most of these people will find most of the
elements in the plot contrived.
The main couple, Annie (McAdams) and Max
(Bateman), are nuts about gaming and have an entertaining competitiveness with
each other and when playing with their friends. The film weaves in stories about all their relationships
that are funny but have a sharp edge of discomfort and go on for too long. Much of the interaction among all the
couples is trying to one-up each other (which some laugh at, but I find not
very funny). One of the “serious”
but intended comical elements is Max’s brother Brooks (Chandler) coming to
visit. We’re told about the
psychological issues between the two, which are, indeed, played out before
us. We meet an egotistical
“Hollywood” type who comes in flaunting his wealth and lording it over his
brother. He takes over every scene
he’s in and all are enthralled and impressed with him, much to the chagrin of
Max, who puts up only mild resistance.
One of Brooks’ ostentations is to invite
Annie’s and Max’s friends to his house/mansion the next week, which is intended
to be the game of all games. But
there will be surprise after surprise (unless the viewer guesses each
beforehand) intended to give the viewer a “what’s real? and “what’s the game”?
kind of reaction.
McAdams and Bateman do well with the material
they have to work with, and come across as people one would like to know more
about beyond the clichés. But the
real star is Jesse Plemons playing the nerd-like neighbor Gary, who is a lonely
policeman longing to be included in the games his neighbors play. Too bad the filmmakers didn’t end the
film with his coup de grace. That
would have given their film a meaning we could hold onto.
Game
Night has some things going for it, but mostly it is a waste of time.
Gaming can be fun…until it gets mixed
up in major crime.
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