Game Night

An entertaining knockabout comedy that feels like a bit of a throwback to 80s comedies, but in a good way.  The two leads work really well together, aided by a great supporting cast, a razor sharp script, and a handful of memorable laugh-out-loud scenes.

Premise:  Super-competitive couple Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie’s (Rachel McAdams) regular game night with their friends is overshadowed by the return of Max’s overachieving older brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler).  But when Brooks hosts his own murder-mystery game night, the group mistake a real kidnapping for part of the game.

Review:

There really is a lot to enjoy in this dark, action comedy, but it all starts with the casting.  The film is led by the ever reliable Jason Bateman (who is always incredibly watchable in these type of roles) and Rachel McAdams (who excels in her first proper comedy role for over a decade), who both have great chemistry together and really convince as Max and Annie, a super-competitive couple who met through their mutual love of games and quizzes.  In a film where they could have so easily become stereotypes (or, worse still, unsympathetic characters), Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams really bring their characters to life so that you’re emotionally invested in them before the mayhem really starts.

“…the film’s secret weapons is the depth of talent in its supporting cast…”

But this isn’t a two-hander by any stretch, and one of the film’s secret weapons is the depth of talent in its supporting cast.  Rounding out Max and Annie’s group of friends are: Lamorne Morris and Kylie Bunbury as Kevin and Michelle, a couple who have been together since High School but who have unresolved issues following a game of Never Have I Ever; and Billy Magnussen as Ryan, an insanely dim and shallow friend who takes a break from dating bimbos to bring a “ringer” to the latest game night, Sarah (played with a great blend of sarcasm and warmth by Sharon Horgan).  The interplay between the group of friends feels natural and flows well, with plenty of sharp dialogue.

On the outside looking in is Gary (played to dead-eyed perfection by Jesse Plemons), Max and Annie’s humourless and socially awkward neighbour, who used to be invited to game night when he was married to another of their friends, but who’s not been invited back since the divorce.  It’s a credit to Jesse Plemons’ creepy performance that you never feel that Max and Annie are cruel for excluding Gary, as he’s definitely someone only a saint would voluntarily spend their free time with.  Kyle Chandler rounds off the main cast as Max’s irritatingly perfect older brother, who’s more successful, charming and handsome than Max and who takes sibling rivalry to new levels.  The film also has a lot of cameos from other famous faces which I won’t spoil here.

“…relies on great characters, witty dialogue and physical comedy for its humour…”

Plot wise, the film holds up pretty well for a knockabout comedy – it hits just the right level of escalating absurdity, and the clever script moves events along at a good pace and gets the audience from one amusing set-piece to the next without the film ever feeling like it’s dragging.  In fact, they squeeze an awful lot into the 100 minute runtime, and it feels like every supporting character gets at least one standout comedy moment, and the film itself has several laugh-out-loud scenes that stay with you after the film ends.  (And speaking of which, there is a short post-credit scene too that’s quite amusing).

The comedy is R-rated (for language), but this isn’t a gross-out comedy or a baudy sex-comedy – instead of relying on cheap shocks, Game Night relies on great characters, witty dialogue and physical comedy for its humour, and the end result is one of the most consistently funny comedies for some time.