It may sound a little obvious, but the main objective of any comedy is simple: to make your audience laugh. Elements like the plot or the development of the characters are also important, of course, but they are of little use if the tape lacks charm or well-constructed gags. I mention it because, although it sounds absurd, many comedies forget this, rather favoring elements that stand out for the disgusting, the stupid, or simply trite over well-told jokes, derived from situations in which the protagonists see themselves involved. In fact, I do not remember any comedy from last year that I really thought was funny; the film that made me laugh most in 2017 was "LEGO Batman" which, technically, is not a pure comedy.
It is for all this that it is refreshing - and pleasantly satisfying - to find a movie like "Game Night." It will not be a particularly original proposal, but unlike many of the comedies that Hollywood brings out year after year, it fulfills its mission without any serious setback: to make its audience laugh. Exaggerated, absurd, and tremendously charismatic, "Game Night" is a fast moving film that presents comic situation after comical situation without underestimating its audience, making them laugh with the characters, and not theirs.
The premise is intriguing. Our protagonists are the couple Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams), two highly competitive people who, every Friday, organize a night of games at home, and invite their friends. These are Kevin (Lamorne Morris) and his wife, Michelle (Kylie Bunbury), and Annie's single-and-stupid-friend, Ryan (Billy Magnussen), who invites a different girl every week. This week, however, instead of bringing in a more hollow head, he arrives with Sarah (Sharon Horgan), an elegant Irish girl. In addition, Brooks has also arrived (Kyle Chandler), Max's older brother, who is considered by all as the most handsome, successful and charismatic of the two. However, the game must be kept secret; neighbor of Max and Annie, the policeman Gary (Jesse Plemons) wants to participate, but nobody wants to invite him because of his somewhat disturbing and sinister personality.
Bored with the usual games, and willing to show how wealthy he is, Brooks decides to turn the game night: he hires a company that develops a mysterious murder - fake, of course - in which everyone has to involve, trying to find clues to, eventually, win a jackpot. Things get complicated, however, when the thugs arrive... and instead of being actors, they end up being real criminals. They capture Brooks - who is apparently involved in shady deals - and, still believing it is a game, the three couples start looking for him. Only when they shoot Max - with a real gun - will they realize that they are involved in a real kidnapping, which will lead them to take desperate measures to rescue Brooks.
A concept like this is full of potential; After all, due to the deceptions that are carried out both from Brooks towards the rest of the characters, and from the villains to the protagonists, many moments of misunderstandings and truly hilarious situations can develop. And although I would not dare to say that screenwriter Mark Perez takes advantage of the potential of the plot to the fullest, he definitely manages to extract enough humor. The jokes are varied; we have physical gags, we have references to other movies, we have puns, and even a hilarious (and false) cameo.
History, on the other hand, is full of twists, some unexpected and shocking, others unnecessary. There are certain moments where Perez and the directors, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein ("I want to kill my boss") catch the public by surprise through unexpected but logical changes, while other situations are more absurd and trite than satisfactory. The balance, however, is positive; the film never runs out of energy, and manages to entertain until its final moments. It would have been a good idea to remove a bit of "fat" from the story, but it is not a defect that ends up spoiling the overall experience.
Jason Bateman is perfect like Max; its sarcastic and casual interpretation is ideal to interpret an ordinary man who is involved in an extraordinary situation. Rachel McAdams is hilarious and energetic like Annie, and the chemistry between them is strong; as a couple that fell in love due to the competitive ones that are both. Lamorne Morris (Winstone in the television series "New Girl") is very funny without becoming a caricature (and his imitation of Denzel Washington is accurate); Kylie Bunbury is solid as Michelle; Billy Magnussen steals scenes like Ryan's idiot; Kyle Chandler shows us a more relaxed side of his personality - he usually stars in more serious films - and Jesse Plemons isdisturbing like Gary.
Many comedies - especially those produced by Hollywood - promise a lot, and then fall apart in the third act . Happily, that is not the case of "Night of games". It maintains the same level of energy during its 100 minutes of duration, and never returns in an exercise of emotional manipulation, developing the most emotional moments in an effective way but little cheesy. The outcome is satisfactory without falling into clichés , and although it certainly could be shorter, the film turns out to be a light experience, deliciously black, and consistently fun. I consider "Game Night" as one of the biggest surprises so far this 2018.
After the success they had as scriptwriters in Vacation (2015), John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have joined again, but this time to direct Game Night, a film that has the always reliable fusion of comedy-thriller-action. Yes! We will continue to see idiotic thugs, funny assassinations and profoundly ironic dialogues in one place.
The plot is simple: A typical group of American friends meets every week to play and compete while trying to prove that their life is not as pathetic as it really is but everything gets complicated when a new member tries to hide a murder. The interesting thing about the story is that none of them has any idea how real this night of games is.
His cast is already a good omen, as it has Rachel McAdams (Annie) and Jason Bateman (Max) as the main character. In turn, we have Kyle Chandler (Brooks, Max's brother) who with his constant arrogance makes everything go out of control.
It is for all this that it is refreshing - and pleasantly satisfying - to find a movie like "Game Night." It will not be a particularly original proposal, but unlike many of the comedies that Hollywood brings out year after year, it fulfills its mission without any serious setback: to make its audience laugh. Exaggerated, absurd, and tremendously charismatic, "Game Night" is a fast moving film that presents comic situation after comical situation without underestimating its audience, making them laugh with the characters, and not theirs.
The premise is intriguing. Our protagonists are the couple Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams), two highly competitive people who, every Friday, organize a night of games at home, and invite their friends. These are Kevin (Lamorne Morris) and his wife, Michelle (Kylie Bunbury), and Annie's single-and-stupid-friend, Ryan (Billy Magnussen), who invites a different girl every week. This week, however, instead of bringing in a more hollow head, he arrives with Sarah (Sharon Horgan), an elegant Irish girl. In addition, Brooks has also arrived (Kyle Chandler), Max's older brother, who is considered by all as the most handsome, successful and charismatic of the two. However, the game must be kept secret; neighbor of Max and Annie, the policeman Gary (Jesse Plemons) wants to participate, but nobody wants to invite him because of his somewhat disturbing and sinister personality.
Bored with the usual games, and willing to show how wealthy he is, Brooks decides to turn the game night: he hires a company that develops a mysterious murder - fake, of course - in which everyone has to involve, trying to find clues to, eventually, win a jackpot. Things get complicated, however, when the thugs arrive... and instead of being actors, they end up being real criminals. They capture Brooks - who is apparently involved in shady deals - and, still believing it is a game, the three couples start looking for him. Only when they shoot Max - with a real gun - will they realize that they are involved in a real kidnapping, which will lead them to take desperate measures to rescue Brooks.
A concept like this is full of potential; After all, due to the deceptions that are carried out both from Brooks towards the rest of the characters, and from the villains to the protagonists, many moments of misunderstandings and truly hilarious situations can develop. And although I would not dare to say that screenwriter Mark Perez takes advantage of the potential of the plot to the fullest, he definitely manages to extract enough humor. The jokes are varied; we have physical gags, we have references to other movies, we have puns, and even a hilarious (and false) cameo.
History, on the other hand, is full of twists, some unexpected and shocking, others unnecessary. There are certain moments where Perez and the directors, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein ("I want to kill my boss") catch the public by surprise through unexpected but logical changes, while other situations are more absurd and trite than satisfactory. The balance, however, is positive; the film never runs out of energy, and manages to entertain until its final moments. It would have been a good idea to remove a bit of "fat" from the story, but it is not a defect that ends up spoiling the overall experience.
Jason Bateman is perfect like Max; its sarcastic and casual interpretation is ideal to interpret an ordinary man who is involved in an extraordinary situation. Rachel McAdams is hilarious and energetic like Annie, and the chemistry between them is strong; as a couple that fell in love due to the competitive ones that are both. Lamorne Morris (Winstone in the television series "New Girl") is very funny without becoming a caricature (and his imitation of Denzel Washington is accurate); Kylie Bunbury is solid as Michelle; Billy Magnussen steals scenes like Ryan's idiot; Kyle Chandler shows us a more relaxed side of his personality - he usually stars in more serious films - and Jesse Plemons isdisturbing like Gary.
Many comedies - especially those produced by Hollywood - promise a lot, and then fall apart in the third act . Happily, that is not the case of "Night of games". It maintains the same level of energy during its 100 minutes of duration, and never returns in an exercise of emotional manipulation, developing the most emotional moments in an effective way but little cheesy. The outcome is satisfactory without falling into clichés , and although it certainly could be shorter, the film turns out to be a light experience, deliciously black, and consistently fun. I consider "Game Night" as one of the biggest surprises so far this 2018.
After the success they had as scriptwriters in Vacation (2015), John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have joined again, but this time to direct Game Night, a film that has the always reliable fusion of comedy-thriller-action. Yes! We will continue to see idiotic thugs, funny assassinations and profoundly ironic dialogues in one place.
The plot is simple: A typical group of American friends meets every week to play and compete while trying to prove that their life is not as pathetic as it really is but everything gets complicated when a new member tries to hide a murder. The interesting thing about the story is that none of them has any idea how real this night of games is.
His cast is already a good omen, as it has Rachel McAdams (Annie) and Jason Bateman (Max) as the main character. In turn, we have Kyle Chandler (Brooks, Max's brother) who with his constant arrogance makes everything go out of control.