Game Night review

GAME NIGHT:

THIS NIGHT DELIVERS BIG LAUGHS!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES AND NEW LINE CINEMA

(From left to right) Sharon Horgan, Rachel McAdams, Lamorne Morris, Billy Magnussen, Jason Bateman, and Kylie Bunbury in for one wild night in Game Night

            Comedy straight man, Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, Juno, Horrible Bosses) collaborates once again with directors and screenwriters, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Horrible Bosses, Vacation, Spider-Man: Homecoming) in the dark comedy-mystery film, Game Night. You know those comedies that look painfully stupid and awful by their trailers, but they end up being a fun time? Yeah, that’s Game Night to me.

            When I saw the trailer for this movie I thought it looked really bad and confused in its humor. But word of mouth started to spread at how funny it was and on top of that it had a good mystery with unexpected twists (The complete opposite of Raja Gosnell’s Scooby-Doo movies).

            So, I grabbed a seat for Game Night and…yeah, it’s a lot of fun and ingeniously plays around with the murder-mystery genre with a new spin added to it. I was laughing hysterically while still being invested in the story and characters, all portrayed brilliantly by the film’s cast.

            The film follows competitive couple, Max (Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams-Mean Girls, Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Strange) hosting a weekly couples game night with their friends, Ryan (Billy Magnussen-As the World Turns, Into the Woods, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Sarah (Sharon Horgan-Man Up, Adventure Time, BoJack Horseman), Kevin (Lamorne Morris-New Girl, BrainRush, Barbershop: The Next Cut), and Michelle (Kylie Bunbury-The Sitter, Twisted, Under the Dome), everyone’s having a good time with nothing out of the ordinary. Until Max’s brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler-Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, Manchester by the Sea) pays them a visit and kicks their game night up a notch with a murder-mystery party with fake thugs and federal agents.

            As the murder-mystery game night begins, Brooks suddenly gets kidnapped and everyone thinks it’s all part of the game…right? The six uber-competitive gamers set out to solve the case and win but as they dig deeper into trouble, they discover that Brooks and the game aren’t quite what they seem to be.

            The film also stars Jesse Plemons (Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Black Mass) as Gary Kingsbury, Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under, Dexter, Justice League: Gods and Monsters) as The Bulgarian, Jeffrey Wright (James Bond franchise, The Hunger Games franchise, Westworld) as the FBI Agent, Danny Huston (The Aviator, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Wonder Woman) as Donald Anderton, Chelsea Peretti (The Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping) as Glenda, Michael Cyril Creighton (Orange is the New Black, Spotlight, The Post) as Bill, and the film’s directors, Daley and Goldstein as Carter and Dan.

            Overall, Game Night blurs the line between hilarious and suspenseful in all the right ways, thanks to its talented cast, witty script, and outrageous premise that plays with old mystery movie clichés. The humor is dark in tone and many of which revolve around blood, death, and wounding, but I felt they never go too far with the jokes to the point where it becomes sick and disturbing.

            The film also has several references to movies such as Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, and The Green Mile that got a big laugh out of me. And if you know your movies then you’ll be laughing along with me once those references show up.

            What impressed me most about this movie were the performances by its cast, which is odd because I’m usually aware of Jason Bateman’s shtick when it comes to comedies. But here I was really invested in his character and thought he had really good chemistry with Rachel McAdams, I almost forgot I was watching actors, what they say and do in the film are natural and they act like a real couple.

            Although if I had to nitpick something about the movie, at times the story can be very predictable, particularly during the climax. It isn’t a bad thing but as the final act was going I was able to predict what the resolution was going to be, who would survive, and who was going to die, it felt like a hybrid of 21 Jump Street and The Hangover at the end, but I digress.

            Game Night is a laugh riot with a solid story, strong characters, and keeps you on your toes all at the same time. If you’re “Game” then grab your gamer pals, go to your local theater, and have some good laughs, because that’s the name of the game.