“Man, glass tables are acting weird tonight!” — Kevin in “Game Night”
Sometimes a movie surprises you.
“Game Night” is one of those movies.
The story starts off with a stylized opening credits montage that introduces us to Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) — competitive gamers who fall in love after they both know the name of one of the Teletubbies (the purple one) at a bar’s trivia night.
The couple eventually marries, and is in the process having a child. Max’s stress is proving an impediment to the process. His problem is this: Max has unresolved feelings of inferiority in relation to his older brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler).
Brooks is a big shot who apparently invested in Panera before it became big. He’s a foot-loose-and-fancy-free bachelor — handsome, confident, and financially successful.
Max and Annie host a weekly game night at their home. A hand-picked group of friends comes each week — including Ryan (Billy Magnussen), Kevin (Lamorne Morris) and Kevin’s wife Michelle (Kylie Bunbury).
Max and Annie have a creepy neighbor named Gary (Jesse Plemons) who hasn’t been invited to game night since he and his wife divorced — much to Gary’s chagrin. Max and Annie do everything in their power to avoid the subject of game night with him.
On one particular game night, Brooks shows up “loud and proud” in his vintage Corvette Stingray — and offers to host the next get-together at his new rental home.
When the gang shows up for game night at Brooks’s crib, he informs them that they’ll be playing in an interactive mystery — one person in the room will be taken; the winner will be the one who finds the victim. To sweeten the pot, Brooks says the victor will win the keys to his Corvette.
Before we know it, a man comes to the door claiming to be an FBI agent — ready to dispense instructions about the game. Moments later, two masked gunmen burst through the door, get into a violent brawl with Brooks, and haul him away.
Max, Annie, and their crew think this is all an elaborate setup for the murder mystery (put on by a company called “Murder We Wrote”). At first they take it all in stride, but soon discover that this is no mere game.
“Game Night” epitomizes a simple premise well executed. Rarely is a joke belabored, and the story keeps its momentum throughout. There are fun twists and turns along the way, and the characters are likable.
Comedy tastes can be very specific. It is relatively rare these days to find comedies that strike a perfect chord (especially those geared toward grown-ups).
“Game Night” isn’t perfect, but it has a nice beat.
My brother saw the movie a few days ago and told me it was fun. He was right. I found myself laughing a lot.
Considering the subject matter, “Game Night” could have veered too dark, or relied on “potty humor” to keep the laughs rolling. Instead, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (who also worked on the script for last summer’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming”) opted for a lighter touch. The pair wrote and co-directed “Game Night,” and I’m impressed with the results.
Be sure to stay through the entire credit sequence to see the easter egg at the end.
In an age where many movies are dark and overly melodramatic, it is nice to be able to go to the theater, check your brain at the door, and have fun watching a movie.
I recommend you attend “Game Night.”
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