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Movie Review: 'Game Night'

Bateman and McAdams shine in surprisingly funny 'Game Night.'

By Sean PatrickPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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When John Francis Daly and directing partner Jonathan Goldstein directed the utterly abysmal remake of Vacation I thought for sure I would never want to see their work ever again. Vacation is a vile and putrid remake of the beloved National Lampoon-Chevy Chase comedy that replaced that films’ humor with some of the ugliest and nastiest lowest common denominator gags imaginable.

That Daly and Goldstein have been given another chance at mainstream success following the failure of Vacation is likely a testament to just how good the script for Game Night is. It would take a pair of really terrible directors to screw up this clever premise with this pro-level cast. Thankfully, Daly and Goldstein show themselves to be far better than Vacation demonstrated.

Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) met and fell in love amidst a very competitive trivia game and competition came to define their relationship. After marrying and becoming a team, Max and Annie began hosting game night with their friends and competing hard to beat them. However, for their latest game night, Max and Annie won’t be hosting, Max’s superstar brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) is in charge on this night and he’s using his wealth to take game night up a notch.

Brooks has hired a company to put on a murder mystery scenario in which he will be kidnapped and the clues will lead the smartest team to Brooks’ location with the winner getting Brooks’ smoking hot car. Things get twisted when Brooks actually gets kidnapped and his friends go looking for him while thinking it is all just part of the game night party.

As clever as the premise of Game Night is, there is nothing particularly special about the way the plot plays out. The real key to Game Night are the characters played by Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, and their terrifically funny friends played by New Girl star Lamorne Morris, Billy Magnusson, Kylie Bunberry, and Sharon Horgan. The core cast is having an absolute ball with this story and their fun is infectious.

Yes, you could argue that Jason Bateman is playing yet another Jason Bateman character but if you like Bateman’s well-worn comic persona you are going to love his work in Game Night. The chemistry between Bateman and McAdams is excellent with the couple seeming to know each other so well they can finish each other’s thoughts. Bateman and McAdams make a very funny romantic team.

While Bateman and McAdams dominate the show, the supporting cast members each get a moment to shine with Morris and Bunberry stealing scenes with their celebrity cheating story as a clever running gag. Magnusson’s dumb guy schtick and Horgan’s laid back know-it-all also play well together. But if one supporting player really steals the show, it is Jesse Plemons as Gary.

Gary is Max and Annie’s nightmare next door neighbor, a slow-talking creeper who is a former friend and game night participant until him and his wife split up. Gary was only a friend through his now ex-wife and the awkwardness between Max, Annie and Gary as they try to host game night without him finding out is very funny. Add to that the unpredictable way that Gary’s plot plays out and you have yet another clever twist to Game night.

My expectations for Game Night were very low given what the directors, Daly and Goldstein, have done before. But with that said, the film easily exceeded expectations and is genuinely hilarious and clever. The premise is smart but it’s the characters that shine, especially Bateman and McAdams who should make another movie together as soon as possible. When two actors bring out the best in each other the way these two do, I can’t wait to see more.

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About the Creator

Sean Patrick

Hello, my name is Sean Patrick He/Him, and I am a film critic and podcast host for the I Hate Critics Movie Review Podcast I am a voting member of the Critics Choice Association, the group behind the annual Critics Choice Awards.

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