GAME NIGHT

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.

Grade:  D+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

Jason Bateman   Olivia Munn   T. J. Miller   Jennifer Anniston   Kate McKinnon   Courtney B. Vance   Rob Corddry

          This is a movie for people who like silliness and absurdity, who think heavy drinking, drugs and major destruction are funny—and there were certainly those present at the screening I attended.  The more outrageous the comment or behavior, the more they laughed.  So if this is your cup of tea, the way you relax during a stressful time of the year, then Office Christmas Party is for you.

         The father of Carol (Anniston) and Clay (Miller) left them his successful IT company, and Carol, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes in the family, runs it with an iron fist (no velvet glove).  Her biggest irritant is her brother Clay who was always favored by their father, despite his messing up and his sister being the much high achiever.  The situation right before Christmas is that Carol intends to lay off 40% of the employees in Clay’s branch because although they earned a profit, it wasn’t high enough for Carol.  And above all there would be no Christmas party and no end-of-year bonuses.

         Leave it to Hollywood to solve the problem with the biggest party blowout ever, one that will host a major athlete, as well as a potential billionaire partner.  Of course, it won’t go smoothly, and most of the story chronicles the mayhem and havoc that will ensue, ending up with the, nowadays required, car chase.  You will guess ahead of time how it will all turn out.

        The movie is so formulaic, not only will the viewer be able to figure out the conclusion, but from moment to moment, he/she will be able to anticipate what will happen next, given a stereotypical set-up.  The major flaw in the film is the script from six(!) writers drawn from who knows how many previous movies.  The direction (Josh Gordon and Will Speck), music (Theodore Shapiro), cinematography (Jeff Cutter), and acting are of reasonable quality; it’s just that with a story this lame and without any creativity whatsoever the whole show is doomed.

        If there is any weight to this picture at all, it is in its depiction of sibling rivalry and how parents might script out their children’s lives unfairly.  Unfortunately, the siblings are shown to be so one-dimensional, they become caricatures, and while change takes place, it’s not plausible from what came before.

This is a Christmas party you probably won’t want to go to.

Grade:  F                                    By Donna R. Copeland

ZOOTOPIA

Voices of:  Jason Bateman     Ginnifer Goodwin     Idris Elba     J. K. Simmons     Octavia Spencer

          It’s so refreshing to see a children’s film that has so much going for it.  Zootopia’s palette and visual effects are beautifully dimensional and the picture contains endearing and diverse animal characters that behave so human, some really fine observations about our own species can be drawn from them in terms that children can easily grasp.  The basic point is that viewing and treating others as stereotypes can be misguided and even dangerous, especially when simplistic explanations are used to “understand” them.  Or assumptions are made such as “we may have evolved, but deep down we’re still animals that can go savage.”  On the other hand, it’s demonstrated that kindness and genuine charm can be supremely effective in winning cooperation from others.

          Judy Hopps (Goodwin) is a perky rabbit determined to become a police officer despite everyone from her family to her friends and co-workers openly discouraging her from the notion.  But she is determined (“I don’t know when to quit”), and is “quick as a bunny” and smart as a whip.  She graduates from training first in her class, bids goodbye to Bunny Burrow, and boards the train for Zootopia (which, of course, she regards as utopian).  Her goals have the same utopian quality; she plans to unite the “vicious predator with the meek prey” so that everyone can live in harmony.

          But her anticipations are not met, and sure enough others refer to her as a “stupid carrot farming dumb bunny”, even the police chief, who assigns her to be a meter maid.  She provides valuable modeling for children in coping with such a job situation.  That is, instead of 100 tickets she is supposed to issue, she will issue 200; but, in addition, she keeps her eyes and ears open, and soon sees an opportunity for real police work that she hopes will allow her to “make the world a better place.”

          Judy’s parents have warned her about foxes, and she soon encounters a wily one by the name of Nick Wilde (Bateman).  (All the names of characters relate to the metaphors used in the film’s story.)  They have a contentious, bargaining relationship at first; she is wary and he is cynical, and each has to earn the other’s respect.  It’s rewarding to see their friendship develop across time into a trusting, collaborative partnership.

          The filmmakers include major intrigues to heighten interest and excitement and lend a bit of scariness to the plot; namely that of a serious problem of mammals disappearing.  It will take Judy and Nick some time to figure out what is going on, amidst some misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and mistakes in interpreting the data.  Both will develop valuable insights into themselves and their friendship in the process.

       For fun, the film has clever little jokes sprinkled throughout, such as Lucky Charms cereal labeled “Lucky Chomps” and all the workers in the DMV being sloths maddeningly slow and methodical in their responses.  And it has helpful maxims:  “If the ones in power can make the prey fear the predator, their power is assured.

       Walt Disney Studios and Directors Byron Howard, Rich Moony and Jared Bush have created a highly entertaining but substantive picture that can be enjoyed by all ages of viewers.

Striving for a utopian society by a most unlikely pair.

Grade:  A                                   By Donna R. Copeland

THE GIFT

--> Joel Edgerton     Jason Bateman     Rebecca Hall
 

          I do love a good psychological thriller, and The Gift has all the essential ingredients—suspense, terror, fright, a social message, and above all psychological validity.  Joel Edgerton, who co-wrote Animal Kingdom and The Rover (similar themes) with David Michod, took the writing for this onto himself, and directed and acted in it as well.  He’s truly a talented individual.  Right from the beginning of this film—with the first shot being of an empty room as well photographed as if it were a painting and foreshadowing background music by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans—it grabs your attention and you sit up straight.  Edgerton is a master at foretelling what is going to happen later, although you may not catch its significance at the time.  Gifts obviously play a key role in the drama, all of them seeming odd at first, and later you realize the glass cleaner was prophetic.

           It turns out the empty room is in a house a California realtor is showing to a couple from Chicago.  It’s upscale, and Greg (Bateman) is on his way up the ladder in a flourishing company.  His wife Robyn (Hall) is a designer who we learn has undergone some traumatic experiences but is on the mend.  They have taken the house and are shopping for furnishings when a man in the department store approaches them.  Gordo (Edgerton) was a high school classmate of Bateman, and seems to want to reestablish old ties.  Greg appears to be a bit mystified, but gamely goes along with plans to call Gordo and get together.

           That’s when the gifts with notes start arriving—a bottle of wine, some fish food and then koi for their pond.  Robyn is touched, particularly when Gordy shows up at the house during the day with additional gifts and offers to be helpful, including getting the television and DVD player hooked up.  Yes, he does seem a bit socially awkward—which appeals to Robyn’s social tolerance—but Greg is irritated. 

           Edgerton takes us down the garden path, demonstrating how susceptible we are to sociopathic characters who are ever so clever in planting “ideas that take hold.”  He does this by keeping us guessing as to who the villain is and testing our limits of tolerance for other people who seem odd to us. 

           Bateman and Hall portray the couple very much in love and tender with one another until suspicion and doubt begin to creep up.  Bateman is good at playing the young executive trying to make all the right moves in a big company so he will be promoted.  Hall is convincing as a designer who personally has basic values of tolerance and justice, and along with that, has a questioning mind.  Edgerton knows creepy, and the thing I like most about his written and evocative portrayal of the character of Gordo is its realistic accuracy as well as its ultimate ambiguity.  That is, we’re unsure of where the boundary is between “sick” and simply odd.

A consummate thriller about gifts from one’s past.

Grade:  A                        By Donna R. Copeland