Game Night review by Bobby Blakey
We have all had those boring game nights that we thought were going to be a great time and ended up just the opposite. The latest flick Game Night looks to mix it up a bit and features a great cast including Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, Jesse Plemons, Danny Huston, Chelsea Peretti, Michael C. Hall and Kyle Chandler, but does it being the laughs or will it be a game not worth playing?
Game Night follows Max and Annie, whose weekly couples game night gets kicked up a notch when Max’s charismatic brother, Brooks, arranges a murder mystery party, complete with fake thugs and faux federal agents. So, when Brooks gets kidnapped, it’s all part of the game…right? But as the six uber-competitive gamers set out to solve the case and win, they begin to discover that neither this “game”—nor Brooks—are what they seem to be. Over the course of one chaotic night, the friends find themselves increasingly in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn. Over the years I have become a big fan of Bateman and have loved most of what he has done, even if the film around him doesn’t always work. With this one I went in expecting an over the top silly flick, but actually got something a bit different.
There are plenty of laughs here, but this is a way darker comedy than I thought it was going to be. There are laugh out loud moments here and there, but most of it is subtle and a on the darker side. The cast are all great offering up some great chemistry with each other. The real standout is the always funny Jesse Plemons as the creepy neighbor. Every time he is on screen I was laughing. Bateman and McAdams work great together as do the rest of the cast with their significant others. The story is a bit all over the place at times, but that is by design for the sake of the game. A lot of it is predictable, but was happy to see that it still offered up some fun little twists and turns.
This film isn’t bringing anything new to the genre, but it does offer up a different kind of comedy than I expected in a good way. This will likely bet hit and miss with audiences, but I found it to deliver just what I wanted even if I didn’t know this is what I was getting.
In addition to the film this release also includes a gag reel and featurettes taking you behind bringing this film to the big screen. Join in on the game when Game Night hits Digital on May 1st and then on Blu-ray and DVD on May 22nd from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.