Game Night

2017 was a rough year as far as traditional comedies are concerned. 

Granted I regrettably missed out on Girls Trip, but I found it to be a mostly lackluster comedy year and the most significant laughs I found were in a [very] funny superhero flick, a fairly intense drama, and a LEGO superhero movie. 

Definitely not your traditional methods of getting a good laugh and where other genres shined last year, I'd say comedy had one of its weaker showings.

It's refreshing then that we've already gotten a strong comedy within 2018 already, though I do think the recent dry spell is potentially overhyping some people's responses to Game Night. 

From the initial trailers this one looked like forgettable fun to me and, ultimately, that's what it is -- though I do believe it was much funnier than I expected. Luckily, many of the film's funniest moments/one-lines/recurring jokes aren't ones that are given away in the trailers (that's always a blessing) so there's lot still hiding behind the curtain on this one and while it's not an all-time classic, there is quite a bit to enjoy in this zany, but slightly too long comedy. 

Game Night's premise is simple (and likely very repeatable for sequels should this one do well enough). A group of friends has recurring game nights every week and they're oddly obsessed with this one-night-a-week competitiveness. A new participant comes to town (Kyle Chandler) and invites them to have it at his house where he explains that the game will be a murder mystery where someone is kidnapped and they have to solve the clues. As comedies do, this gets enjoyably mixed up with a real kidnapping and the group doesn't catch on. Game Night is one of those comedies where there's some violence, some laughs, and just general shenanigans, all of which range in a spectrum of successful or mediocre. 

What an adorable Westie!!

On the comedy front, Game Night is at its funniest with most of its recurring jokes and there are definitely a fair share of jokes or gags that fall somewhat flat. This is never the cast's fault as they're universally great, anchored by fun performances by Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams. They're certainly who our movie pivots around and they have good delivery when it counts, Bateman in particular. Jesse Plemons also plays a hilarious, well-acted, and important role in yet another showing of which he quietly steals the show, along with his Westie(!), Bastion. The writing is consistently good with moments of hilariousness, but also ones that sees jokes landed with a bit of a whimper. The script is mostly to blame for when this happens and you get the sense that there was next to no ad-libbing in this one, which seems to be something Bateman is talented at when he gets the opportunity. 

The action itself, and the story in general, is pretty average and sort of funny throughout. Some gags are hilarious (Bateman getting shot) while others just go on for too long (the initial kidnapping fight). It's here where the film could have likely trimmed its runtime even though it's only 100 minutes. It feels like it's about 2 hours long which, at least to me, means that it drags too much and I did get that feeling near the end when there were about 20 minutes left and we're still introducing new characters. What is surprising about the action, and film in general, is that it's impressive in a lot of technical ways. There are lots of interesting, inspired camera angles, some of which feel "board-gamey" (if that makes sense) and the original score is shockingly great. It comes from Cliff Martinez who, while very inconsistent, can make a damn good original score when inspired (ex: Drive). Apparently this film spoke to him as the synth original music, while a bit generic, is well used, implemented, and designed to deliver an extra little surprise that I didn't think would come with a Jason Bateman comedy.

I'd let this game night group in my house!

Game Night has a lot to love and I did enjoy it for what it was worth. That said, I do think it's been so long since we've had a more traditional comedy work all that well (again, recognizing that I missed one or two last year) that I'm reserving saying that Game Night will be the funniest film of this year. It does have a lot to offer, some of which is pleasantly surprising, but it's not consistently gut-bustingly hilarious enough to earn as many repeat viewings as your favorites.

CONS

• Not all jokes land as hard as the film wants them to
• The action tends to overstay its welcome as does the final portion of the film
• It feels longer than it really is -- definitely lags in the last 20 minutes

PROS

• Features a really fun cast with Bateman, McAdams, and Plemons being highlights (and the most funny)
• Fairly consistent with it being funny and its recurring jokes are some of its best. I definitely -- and I know my theater did too -- had moments of hearty laughter
• Bonus points for trailers that didn't ruin all the funny parts
• Features some funny physical gags and action scenes
• Bonus points for Bastion the Westie!
• Surprisingly strong technical elements with some neat camera tricks and a better-than-expected original score by Cliff Martinez
• A fun premise that results in a mostly-fun film. It's funny for most of its minutes and is an enjoyable surprise for a late February film

 Rath's Review Score | 7.5/10