Directors: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
By Alex Watson
Thanks in part to a sharp script and spot-on cast, Game Night is a movie that satisfies on belly laughs alone. The chemistry between leads Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman gives this movie its comedic charm. Horrible Bosses writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein make a surprisingly effective team. While the story might be a tad predictable, there is much to like in this effort.
Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) love nothing more than hosting and winning game nights. However, their mood soon sours when Max's older and vastly more successful brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) comes to town. When they allow big brother to host game night, he promises it will be on they never forget. When gun touting thugs burst in and kidnapping, the couple soon realises they are playing the most dangerous game of all.
Game Night appeals in droves early on, starting with the typical (and adorable) meet-cute when Max and Annie meet ironically during a game night. Despite being able to thrash their friends (Billy Magnussen, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury), their hopes to start are a proper family are being thwarted by their mixed opinions about having a child. To make matters worse, Brooks is in town and as one member describes he is like "The Mark Wahlberg to his Donnie!" Vastly successful and always winning against his brother, Brooks decides to one-up game night by staging a murder mystery. When criminals suddenly burst in a take him, the indifference the gang reacts with is truly hilarious. Credit to both Daley and Goldstein, for the majority of the film they do a go job of blurring the lines between real and fake when it comes to this kidnapping.
Once the group realizes how raised the stakes are, the twists keep coming and they are more and extreme each time. The standout scene sees Annie attempting to take a bullet of her husband's arm while using rubber gloves and tweezers. The fact she could only find him a squeaky toy hamburger to bite down on only adds to the hilarity. The supporting cast is also well served during this story with Kevin (Morris) determined to find out which celebrity his wife (Bunbury) bedded while they were 'on a break', the reveal afterwards provides an underrated source of laughs. Ryan (Magnussen) is the group's good looking dimwit who begins to become attracted to straight talking Linda (Sharon Horgan). There's also looming question of precisely how real are all of these events? Brooks remains an ambiguous character throughout and Daley and Goldstein are sly when it comes to their clues.
If there is one criticism to give Game Night it is that the final act is where the picture momentarily loses steam. The directing duo, for the most part, is great at keeping the laughs coming but when it comes to the big twist- it feels slightly obvious and this makes us feel let down. While this picture isn't ever going to be considered groundbreaking, you feel it has enough smarts to avoid the typical story traps. The final act is well-staged and brilliantly executed, especially they are forced to fit into a bizarre party held a wealthy criminal (Danny Huston). There is also the added bonus of having Jesse Plemon's extremely awkward and watchful cop Gary hovering by- a man desperate to join game night but creeping out all in return.
Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are a wonderfully matched pair. Bateman's makes the use of his typical dry wit and likeable everyman charm. Although she's a tried and tested dramatic actress, you forget just what an appealing comedic lead McAdam really is. Here her and Bateman make for a believable and extremely cute pairing which makes the film excel. Kyle Chandler is also excellent as the unbearable Brooks- on the surface, he has all a man (and Max) could want and more. Chandler shows a different and more desperate side later on but somehow retains a magnetism to this character that still draws us to him.
Game Night is a comedy to just sit back and enjoy- though consider yourselves warned if your brother ever hosts a night like this one.
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