Comedy is a tough business, especially in Hollywood. Comedies, as a genre, are inherently supposed to be a good time, so there’s an added layer of dissatisfaction when they don’t deliver the goods. Spending money on a film that disappoints is usually a shitty feeling, but especially so when that film is supposed to make you laugh. Thankfully, Game Night was a blast from start to finish and displayed a multifaceted approach to strong comedic storytelling.
Probably best known for his roles in Freaks and Geeks and Bones, John Francis Daley showed off his skills behind the camera along with his directing partner Jonathan Goldstein. This is only the duo’s second full length feature film together, but they started making short films together back in 2001 and previously ventured into National Lampoon’s franchise territory, writing and directing Vacation. While the pair doesn’t have an abundance of experience, they set a dark tone early and followed through until the end. This project could have gone one of two ways. It was either going to be very well done, or it would be a total miss. So far the film has recouped its production budget, plus $12-million, and tacked on another $25-million worldwide, which isn’t amazing but it still pretty solid for an R-rated comedy. Daley and Goldstein are a large part of the reason for the movie’s success, along with a talented cast.
Leading the way was Jason Bateman and he was, well…Jason Bateman. He’s good, don’t get me wrong, but this wasn’t a departure for him in the slightest. He plays almost the exact same character in everything, but he is exceedingly good at it and that works really well for him in the context of this film. This time he plays Max, a highly competitive individual who hosts a weekly game night for his quirky group of friends. He also has some massive insecurities thanks to his older brother, Brooks, played by Kyle Chandler. When Brooks comes back into the picture, the sibling rivalry begins again and the competition reaches a whole new level.
Rachel McAdams was good opposite Bateman, playing his wife Annie, but the two have limited chemistry at best. Their comedic timing plays nicely and they seem to have the rapport of two people who’ve known each other for quite a while, but there certainly isn’t any romantic spark there. Thankfully, that isn’t a central focus of the movie so it doesn’t derail the plot and goes mostly unnoticed. I haven’t seen her do a hard comedy in quite a while, but she was still very fun to watch. She has a very animated style that played well in a more physical role such as this.
Rich Delia put together a strong supporting ensemble cast. The most notable performance among the group belonged to Jesse Plemons as Gary, a recent divorcee and a game night outcast. Plemons’ eerily sterile demeanor stood in stark contrast to the rest of the personalities on display but worked to great effect. Lamorne Morris and Billy Magnussen were both fun also as Kevin and Ryan, respectively. They are essentially polar opposites, but both of them manage to deliver the laughs within their own lanes. The same is true of their female counterparts Kylie Bunbury and Sharon Horgan. Bunbury plays Michelle, Kevin’s wife and childhood sweetheart while Horgan plays one of Ryan’s dates who happens to get dragged into a wild evening. Of all the couples in the film, it’s actually Horgan and Magnussen who have the strongest chemistry. The ditsy man and intelligent female dynamic works well for them and it’s something the filmmakers toyed with the entire time. The ensemble approach helped to spread the responsibility around and not force any one character or couple to shoulder the burden alone.
Much of that is due to Mark Perez, who wrote a hysterical screenplay that had me belly laughing on a few occasions. Given his track record, this wasn’t a sure bet for New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. With movies like Country Bears and Herbie Fully Loaded under his belt, Perez was far from a sure thing. It’s nice to see a big studio recognize a good script and get it into the hands of capable directors. While there are some predictable moments, they are used to set up the bigger picture. I have always enjoyed Accepted, but Perez now has a much more recognizable and successful film on his resume. His script was one of many strong aspects of filmmaking on display.
At this point, it’s fair to say that Cliff Martinez is easily one of the most underrated composers in the business. This isn’t the kind of film you’d guess has a great original score, but you’d be wrong. Due to the nature of the plot, the music has to carry a good deal of tension and it does so wonderfully. Combine that with some stellar cinematography from Barry Peterson and you’ve got a film that’s well told, even without the dialogue. Peterson was afforded the chance to get creative and he took full advantage. He showed a great deal of ingenuity with his shot selection and used a very cool technique for the chase scenes. I don’t know if he used a drone or simply a follow-car, but the result dove into the action and made you feel the directional changes a lot more.
Honestly, I was really surprised by how well done this was as an all around film. It works well as a comedy because it stays true to itself and the R-rating, rather than trying to get the low hanging fruit. This could have easily been watered down to the PG-13 range, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as good. I was very skeptical going in, but the movie won me over by the 15-minute mark. In all likelihood, I’m in the primary demographic for this movie which may explain why I enjoyed it. This isn’t going to win any awards at the end of the year, but it’s a film I wouldn’t mind paying to see a second time in theaters…and that’s saying a lot.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a simple but enjoyable good time, check it out. At this point, it’s been out for a while but there still isn’t much in the way of competition at the boxoffice right now either. It works as a date movie or a family movie although it’s a little on the violent side, so maybe leave the really young ones at home.
Grade: B-