(spoiler free)
Avid board game fans will fully appreciate the drama that can occur on any said game night. Whether it’s making sure you get your desired Monopoly playing piece, the casual gamer with no respect for the rules or the inevitable sore loser who goes to that place where there’s just no coming back from – the board flip. However, none of this has anything on the antics involved in Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams’ competitive streak in new comedy, ‘Game Night’. The film is directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein, the pair behind the ‘Horrible Bosses’ movies, but would their collaboration prove to be a winning combination?
The film has a simple premise; Bateman & McAdams play an extremely competitive husband and wife, Max & Annie, who are struggling to start a family. They host regular game nights with their friends in order to exercise their competitive nature. Max’s older, and more successful, brother, Brooks, played by Kyle Chandler, is usually out of town for these but returns one game night and decides it’s time to raise the stakes by bringing in outside help to create the ultimate gaming experience. The narrative is simply a vehicle for the comedy which flows naturally from the start. Everyone can relate to competitiveness to some degree, whether that be your own or of friends and family, the focus on this allows for a lot of amusing comedy to follow. Furthermore the script is littered with popular culture references, mainly film related which, if executed well, and here they are, always make for an added treat. At times the film does venture into some more dramatic territory. The two main storylines revolve around Max’s relationship with his wife and brother, at times they threaten to slow the pace of the film down but thankfully these moments always avoid outstaying their welcome.
With those few flaws cast aside the remainder and majority of the film is a blast from beginning to end. Any comedy has to be funny and ‘Game Night’ is. It’s humour is effective, it’s consistently amusing with few gags falling flat. It really excels itself with a couple of longer sequences though which continue to escalate into hilarity, if you can, avoid the trailers for the best experience but much to the benefit of the audience a lot of the funniest moments haven’t been spoiled. The comedy is so successful due to the writing but also thanks to the talented cast who clearly have funny bones. Bateman can do comedy, we know this already, but it’s always a joy to see him in a leading role like this and his performance here reminds us just why he’s done so well in the genre. McAdams is definitely more renowned for her dramatic roles but she’s a great addition to the cast, giving an enthusiastic and convincingly funny performance. The rest of the supporting cast all get there moments to shine and it’s a genuinely strong ensemble. It is however, Jesse Plemons who completely steals the show as recently divorced cop, Gary. His deadpan performance evokes humour from the get go and his involvement allows for some of the biggest laughs the film has to offer. He’s Game Night’s trump card and he’s played just at the right moment.
However, much before this as our players begin to assemble in the opening scenes, and throughout the film, it features a playful gimmick of the larger environment the plot is taking place in being presented much like the board of a game itself. This was a fun way to frame the film and alludes to some of the narrative threads in a clever way. This was the foreboding for a film which felt original and delivered on laughs. ‘Game Night’ doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it’s a breath of fresh air in the cinematic comedic arena and will most likely end up as one of the genre highlights for the year, a fact that it’s competitive central characters will be thrilled about.
Written by Hamish Calvert
Rating – 7.5/10
Question: What is your favourite Jason Bateman film comedy?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)
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Thanks to Movie House Cinemas for screening access
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