"Game Night" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Out of all movie genres that I watch, the one that I have the hardest time getting into is comedies. There are honestly not that many, if any, comedy-based movies that I would even put into my top 20 films of all time. I hardly ever see any straight up comedies in a given year. So, "Game Night" had to prove a lot to me. The trailer peaked my interest, as it looked like an intriguing dark comedy. All the characters of this film love their weekly game nights, but no one is more obsessed than Max (Jason Bateman) and his wife Annie (Rachel McAdams). But when Max's brother, whom Max is envious of, Brooks (Kyle Chandler) comes into town, game night takes a very dark and realistic turn. What was supposed to be just a casual game night turns out to have dangerous real world implications. This film's interesting plot thankfully works very well. The movie is also incredibly funny, has a talented cast, clever moments, and even some legitimately emotional moments.

Making comedy work is something that can be very hard to achieve. You have to have precise timing, and good actors that can deliver the jokes. Thankfully this movie has great comedy, utilizing funny moments through visuals and dialogue. For the most part, there is no slapstick or lowbrow comedy here. Most of it is relatively subtle in its delivery. I loved how the movie established game night. Normally, board games are considered to be just casual and fun. But, main characters Max and Annie both view them as of the utmost importance. That means that the game scenes are filmed with intense camera work and crazy action music. I couldn't help but laugh because of how well it worked. It's really the dark comedy of this film that works the best, though. There's a hysterical beginning conversation that Max and Annie have with their creepy neighbor Gary. Every single moment of this only 3-5 minute conversation is executed perfectly, and had both me and my brother laughing so hard that we were crying. There's another great scene where Max gets shot, and Annie has to treat the wound. In order to keep himself from screaming in pain, Max puts a squeaky toy in his mouth. The payoff is spectacularly hilarious. There's also some great visual comedy in the movie. For example, there are several moments where the movie is filmed like a game board. It caught me off guard the first time I saw it, but as the film went on I saw what they were going for. I smiled every time I saw it being filmed like that. There's also a one-shot take that is cool looking visually but also quite funny. So, it's multi-faceted in how well it works. What helps the comedy of this film ultimately is that there is a mystery/crime element here as well. The mystery helps you get intrigued into what's going to happen while also laughing along the way. The merging and satirization of the mystery/crime genre is well-done while. There is a clear love and appreciation for both of these genres in the midst of all the punchlines. I also have to give props to the excellent soundtrack of this film, which makes this movie feel intense and fun at the same time.

What really helps spurn this film forward is many superb performances. Jason Bateman as Max is excellent as the leading man. His comedy routine here is what you'd expect from him, but he does a good job at putting a unique, dark twist on it. He delivers his punchlines with a sense of searing casualness. I like that Bateman: he doesn't try to show off when he delivers his jokes; instead he lets the jokes speak for themselves, and that makes them a lot more effective. He brings a sympathetic edge to Max in regards to his relationship with both Annie and Brooks. I loved following him. I also thought Rachel McAdams as Annie. McAdams provides a perfect counterpart to Bateman. She does a great job at balancing the comedic personality of her character with the human side of Annie. This makes the character work well. But the highlight performance of this film is, without a doubt, Jesse Plemons as Gary. Plemons, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated actors working right now. He has tremendous range, and this film proves it. In one shot, you get this feeling of barely restrained menace from him. But in the next moment, the menace becomes gut wrenchingly funny from him, as he really just plays it up to the highest degree. In another scene, you'll feel immense sympathy for him as he spills out a vulnerable story about his past. Plemons' character is all around the best developed of the movie, and I think that is thanks in part to his performance. He brings Gary to life and disappears into the role. I loved every minute with him on screen; I only wish he'd been on a little longer. Also deserving honorable mentions are Kyle Chandler as Brooks and Billy Magnussen as Ryan. Both of them bring a lot to the table and have great moments of their own. I like how Chandler makes Brooks more than just this arrogant rich boy, and Magnussen takes Ryan beyond the dumb frat boy stereotype. There are a few performances that didn't quite impress me as much, although they weren't awful. Lamorne Morris as Kevin, Kylie Bunbury as Michelle, and Sharon Horgan as Sarah all didn't impress that much. This may have been in part due to the fact that their characters weren't written as well as the main characters.

There are a few other miscellaneous problems I have with the movie, although none of them are too major. I think the film starts to drag ever so slightly towards the end, as it keeps on making these "plot twists" happen. Now, there's no denying I liked the first plot twist. I found it quite cleverly implemented. Sadly, the twist is dropped for a second twist, and there's even another false twist implemented on top of that. I think the film may have been making fun of the idea that often crime/mystery movies have a lot of over-the-top plot twists, and I appreciate the idea. But only the first twist in this movie is funny. The others don't work quite as well, and they prolong the movie for a little too long. I also think that there is too much incorporation of sub-plots. I think that there was an effort to make the cast here an ensemble, with the goal being that you'd care for every character's struggles. However, the only sub-plot I really cared for was Max and Annie's, because they were the two best written of the main cast. The sub plots with Ryan/Sarah and Kevin/Michelle were not that interesting, and I'm not sure why they were there. Neither one has a worthy pay-off.

Even with those slight issues, "Game Night" is still an undeniably excellent movie. It's one of the best comedies I've seen in years. I think it really helps that the movie is cleverly written, and that the punchlines are more subtly done rather than being hammered in. The cast is also mostly solid and does a great job at making their characters work in context of the situation surrounding them. I definitely recommend this film, as it is a great time, and has plenty going for it. I really would like to see more from directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, as it's clear they know how to make comedy work. Definitely go see this!