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Movie Review: “Game Night” Plays With The Audience And Wins

[yasr_overall_rating]
 

A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights finds themselves trying to solve a murder mystery.

Have you ever met someone who when they walked into the room you wanted to smack them, before they talked, before they did anything, just their very essence irritated you? For me, one of those people is Jason Bateman, as soon as he fills the screen, I want to smack him for some unknowable reason. He’s the reason I never watched “Arrested Development” and the reason I was not excited about seeing “Game Night.” I am, however, a fan of Rachel McAdams, who plays Bateman’s onstage wife. Together they create enough chemistry for me to look past my baseless distaste for Bateman and enjoy the game.

Annie (McAdams) and Max (Bateman) met over trivia, fell in love, got married, and kept game night alive for them and a small group of friends: Ryan (Billy Magnussen) and his revolving girlfriends, along with married since graduation day Michelle (Kylie Bunbury) and Kevin (Lamorne Morris). Life of the party Brooks (Kyle Chandler) crashes game night to insult and belittle his younger brother Max before announcing he will hold the next game night at his fancy house where he can appear as the bigger better more successful brother. Meanwhile, Gary (Jesse Plemons), the cop and ex-friend, lives next door awkwardly trying to be re-invited to the weekly game festivities. Ryan brings a non-airhead, Sarah (Sharon Horgan), along for the new adventure.

Brooks outdoes his brother’s game nights by tossing the board games and playing a murder mystery with his guests, only some real bad guys are unaware of the fun they interrupt. Max and Annie and friends, unaware Brooks had been kidnapped for real, follow clues to find where he was taken, fooling bad guys, and wreaking havoc across the city. When the group finally realize they are not playing a game, but fighting for their lives, they stick together, refusing to give up on saving Brooks. The couples learn a few secrets about each other along the way, needed to keep things interesting, which cause some dissent among the ranks. 

About halfway through the movie, a scene with a dog about ruined my interest. I was ready to drop out, pay attention to my fingernails or create fake lives for everyone in the row ahead of me. The next scene, where the group searches for an egg, I cringed, wondering if this was the point where the movie dropped into a pit it could not recover from. Against the odds, the movie recovers as if the writer (Mark Perez) had a cup of coffee or a good night’s sleep, maybe both, before writing the other half of the film. To my surprise, I stopped cringing and continued laughing. I still feel bad for the white dog and the white carpet, both of which were covered in blood and not treated properly.

A few twists, some inside jokes, and on-screen chemistry propel this movie into an enjoyable night. A few issues kept me from giving all five stars, and no, my Bateman aversion was not one of them. A few scenes were over the top. How does a team manage to throw an egg without dropping while being chased for the first time ever? That scene needs a bit of a re-write and the inconsistencies with Ryan and his almost date Sarah deserve a little more effort. I’m not sure what purpose they served except to pull a role reversal where instead of a dumb blonde girl we had a dumb blonde guy. Still stereotypical, still only fake laughs instead of serious humor. The major issue for me was the swearing. While the cussing was kept to a minimum for this time, the majority of the swears used God’s name in vain. How complacent we have become.

No one actor stood out as the prize, this would come down to personal preference. Mine lands squarely with Jesse Plemons. Also known as, Meth Demon for his resemblance to Matt Damon. By resemblance, I mean Danny DeVito to Arnold. His role could have gone wrong and ruined the whole movie if played by anyone else but the Dallas-bred star. The movie should entertain even those who usually cringe through films such as this, ones that move like a mouse through a maze, hitting brick walls every turn. Leave your scrabble board at home.

In theaters Friday, February 23rd

 

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