Annie (Rachel McAdams) and Max (Jason Bateman) are a cute couple. And, like every cute couple, they have a thing. Competition…that’s pretty much it. They met at trivia night.
Not only are they competitive with one another, (it’s friendly, but fierce) they like to gang up on others. (They’re a good team.)
Ever so often they get together with another cute couple, Kevin and Michelle (their thing is that they have been together, literally, forever, i.e., high school) and Ryan, their physically attractive, goofball buddy, who–to the annoyance of the gang–always brings a long-legged, air-headed date for a night of pool, charades and, or board games.
Game night.
To that mix add Brooks, (Kyle Chandler) Max’s suave and shiesty older brother, and Gary, (Jesse Plemons) the couple’s creepy, next door neighbor who happens to be a cop and a widower. (To be fair, he does have a really cute dog.)
Whereas Gary desperately (and awkwardly) wants to be invited to Max and Annie’s game nights, Brooks is taller, darker and handsomer than Max…and more athletic. So there you have your psychological conflict.
Plus, there’s Max’s sperm problem–he’s not producing enough, or they’re scraggly, or…you get the idea; the cute couple wants to have a cute baby, but they can’t because Max is stressed out about the competition thing with Annie and–mainly–Brooks.
Sibling rivalry.
One game night, Ryan (the goofball buddy) brings an older more accomplished date, Sarah (she’s also Irish) to the soiree at Brook’s house where he has sprung for an elaborate, interactive role playing game in which the winner takes home the car of Max’s teenaged dreams–a classic Corvette Stingray.
A red one.
Max is inspired and pissed at the same time.
When two thugs break in and kidnap Brooks while he’s explaining the rules of the game, everybody is impressed with the excellent acting and physical stunts of the role players (they body slam Brooks into a glass coffee table) and are eager to join in. There’s just one problem: unbeknownst to them, the role players aren’t role players at all. They’re real kidnappers. And Brooks is a real gun smuggler who is reaping what he has sowed.
So that’s pretty much the gist of the movie…they start out believing it’s a game and then in the middle–Max gets shot, Gary’s dog gets saturated in blood and Brooks gets the crap beat out of him–it becomes a lot more real, but no less funny.
Think The Wild Bunch if The Wild Bunch was a comedy and not directed by a misogynistic genius…
In this case we have the directing duo of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, both of whom fostered their careers primarily in television. Accordingly, Game Night benefits from a crisp script, disciplined pace and a solid supporting cast. But more than anything else, it’s the chemistry between Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams–skilled pros, adept at scoring and setting each other up–that drives the film.
Such a fun movie!
LikeLiked by 2 people
it is! I laughed so hard! Thanks for reading, June.
LikeLiked by 2 people
John Francis Daley……I had heard of him but couldn’t figure out until I looked on IMDb,he was Agent Sweets on “Bones”. I didn’t know he had become a director…..this sounds like a very fun movie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s exactly what it is, Michael. And it’s funny!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I want to say I have this but I’m going to have to double check. I know I had “TAG” but that was disappointing…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah. It’s pretty readily available.
LikeLike
Fantastic review. This film was a blast with a cracking cast and script. Bateman’s verbal delivery and timing just gets better and better. His performances in Ozark are so crafty. But Jesse Plemons stole the show in his role I thought.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. Game Night is a cute flick. It’s fun. Plemons is always good, but, unfortunately, he will always be typecast as the weird guy, whereas Bateman and McAdams have the weight of the film on their shoulders and they carry it lithely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool. I know what you mean about Plemons. Then again, he played the dumb cop role with a twist in Game Night, ultimately proving he was more than their match. I have seen Plemons play it straight; in the Lance Armstrong biopic, The Program. Also as the narrator in Vice.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s not a matter of can he play it straight, it’s how often he will get the opportunity. Now that film is becoming more and more independent, he may have more opportunities to break out of his caste. He is a very skilled actor.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hadn’t heard of this film, and the premise would usually steer me away from watching it. But if you rate it, I will change my mind.
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A good comedy–of any kind–is a rare thing, I think. Comedy is so hard to pull off. Game Night hits all the bases. I think you would like it, Pete. It’s fun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review 🙂 Game Night was entertaining. Though it may be a different from this, did you ever see Knives Out from 2019? I loved it 🙂 If you have not seen it, I will give you some trailer links and a spot for Toni Collette’s character (said to be loosely based on Gwenyth Paltrow) promoting Flam (a parody of Paltrow’s Goop) Anyway, keep up the great work as always 🙂
Here is a youtube video link to the first trailer
Here is a youtube video link to the second trailer
Here is a youtube video link to that Toni Collette’s character promoting FLAM 🙂
LikeLike
Yeah. I loved Game Night. I thought the madcap action sequences were masterfully choregraphed. That bit with the Fabergé egg was brilliant.
I did see, Knives Out. I liked it. I thought the acting was excellent. Toni Collette is a fantastic actor. Very underrated, I think. Thanks for the links–and for reading.
–Pam
LikeLiked by 1 person
This doesn’t sound like a run of the mill comedy…this one I will watch. I’ve always liked Bateman so I will give it a shot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are some hilarious sequences in it. Really big belly laughs…You’ll enjoy it, I’d bet on it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d pretty much see Mr. Bateman in anything. Which is why, of course, I saw this movie. Lots of guffaw moments. So good in most comedies he does as the straight man.
Nice write-up! It was good acting, good chemistry between actors, hilarious story.
As for Jesse P…. I hope he continues to break out of the usual. He has such a low-key, subtle way about him. I hate it when good actors get typecast. Gary Oldman, Eric Roberts, Cuba Gooding. Kevin Hart is actually really good–saw him in a comedy recently (of course), and Will Ferrell was surprisingly heartbreaking in Everything Must Go. Angela Bassett got stuck in action movies somehow, but I guess it’s a paycheck.
Sorry about that. So many! But evidently even though Bateman is a master at comedy, he’s really good in this Ozark show? I’ve heard a lot about it.
Thanks for the cheeky review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like Justin Bateman too. He’s very good at being Jason Bateman, and I mean that as a compliment. He’s snarky. In a good way.
I have heard the Ozark show is great. Like you, I haven’t watched it. I start watching some of these shows and my expectations are so high that I bail quickly. True Detective, the first season. Breaking Bad. Fargo, the first two seasons. These shows spoiled me. I find it hard to settle for less. Ha! Poor Me!
Of course, I’m presuming that he’s that way in life–Jason Bateman, that is…all of these actors you mentioned, they are distinctive. They are capable of turning in a great performance and a really bad performance. I think you could put Nicholas Cage in that club. It really depends on the role–for them, more so than other actors. And they are very vulnerable to bad direction.
Thanks for reading, Stacey–and the kind words.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Pam, just checking in with you. I think of you most every day and hope you are doing well. Grace and peace to you…
LikeLiked by 1 person
How nice of you DW…thank you! I am well. Just trying to digest everything that is going on in the world right now. Well, not everything…ha! You know what I mean.
–Pam
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good to hear from you! I know what you mean. I haven’t had the energy to write anything significant in quite a while. I’m glad to know you are well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Pam, I thought of you immediately when I heard about the explosion there. I’m so sorry 😢. I hope you and yours are okay. A tough year for Nashville…
LikeLike
Thank you, DW. It has been a difficult year for Nashville and everyone worldwide. Praying that your new year and the world’s will be much better.
God’s Blessings,
Pam
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the recommendation!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely!
LikeLiked by 1 person