Game Night

photo courtesy of teaser-trailer.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams team up for Game Night, a dark action-comedy from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Bateman and McAdams play married couple Max and Annie, a pair of trivia enthusiasts who have their friends over every week for their regular game night. On a murder mystery evening hosted by Max’s brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler), one member of the group is to be “kidnapped” by actors, and it’s up to the rest of the group to solve the crime and rescue their friend. But as the night goes on and bullets start flying, it becomes clear that what started as a friendly competition may be far more real than anyone had anticipated.

     If that sounds like a ridiculous premise for a movie, that’s because it is: Game Night follows an absurd, increasingly twisty-turny series of events. But fortunately, Game Night is as enjoyable as it is preposterous. Equal parts charming, funny, and stylish, it’s a pleasant surprise on all counts.

photo courtesy of indiewire.com

     Game Night is, first and foremost, a comedy, and that’s the area where it has the most success. The jokes come at a steady rate, and many of them are clever, sharply written gags that can be funny without being particularly raunchy or low-brow. A good deal of the laughs come from Max and Annie, who get the most screen time by far, but Billy Magnussen and Lamorne Morris (New Girl), who play fellow members of game night group, are exceptionally hilarious. Jesse Plemons, who has apparently found his calling in playing washed-up young adults, plays the creepy next-door neighbor to much amusement.

photo courtesy of deseretnews.com

     Of course, the movie’s main running joke is that these adults find themselves awakened to a criminal world for which they are woefully underprepared, and Game Night leans into that dynamic, juxtaposing the silly heroics of its protagonists with hardened underworld figures. That angle also gives the movie an outlet for its darker brand of humor, which keeps things from becoming too serious when the action picks up.

     And Game Night does feature several significant action beats. A few mildly violent scenes (along with a fair dose of language) give the movie its R-rating, but apart from one gory wound, it’s not the type of flick that emphasizes its violence. In general, the action sequences serve mostly as plot progression, but they don’t detract from the comedy in any major way.

photo courtesy of variety.com

     Game Night’s most surprising element is its polished visual style. It’s apparent that someone actually put effort into how this comedy looks, not just what it’s saying. The production value makes an impression from the get-go, with plenty of nice (and not overbearing) CGI, a quirky montage, and a number of genuinely creative shots. One sequence, which sees the protagonists passing around a (spoilery) object as they avoid bad guys, makes quite a splash as it—ostensibly—depicts the entire scene in only one shot. It’s a nice touch for a movie where visuals could easily have fallen by the wayside.

FINAL VERDICT: More fun than it probably has any right to be, Game Night is an all-around win.

Watch the trailer here. 

photo courtesy of filmandtvnow.com