By Jesse Newell
Game Night is a black comedy starring Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, Jesse Plemons, Michael C. Hall and Kyle Chandler. The wealthy brother of a competitive board game enthusiast sets up an elaborate murder mystery party which turns into in an actual murder investigation.
A studio comedy, released in February, from the directors of Vacation and the writer of Herbie: Fully Loaded? Surely that’s a recipe for a cinematic disaster? Apparently not, according to the positive reception it’s been getting from the critics.
Max (Bateman) and Annie (McAdams) have been a competitive couple since the day they first met. For many years, they have organised social events where they play a variety of board games with their close friends. One night, Max’s well-off older brother rolls into town in an expensive car and joins in on the games. He uses his wealth to stage a murder mystery, which goes horribly wrong when the city’s criminal underbelly gets involved.
The film keeps you guessing as to whether the events that are taking place are real or staged, but from the first act you can tell where the plot is headed. And when it comes to the ending, multiple twists are implemented to try and trick its audience, which feels a little bit overdone. Having said that, it was thoroughly entertaining to watch the chaos unravel on screen. Ultimately, the characters and the running jokes make this film enjoyable.
As a whole, the cast have an excellent chemistry together. Rachel McAdams delivers a delightful performance as Max’s competitive wife, Annie. Another performance of note was that of Lamorne Morrie, who plays Kevin. His subplot is a running joke in which he is trying to decipher whom his wife (played by Kylie Bunbury) had an affair with, and the payoff of this joke is brilliantly executed. Jason Bateman plays yet another everyman, stuck in an awkward situation. Although not his worst performance, but it also wasn’t as good as it could have been.
But the real MVP of Game Night is the character of Gary Kingsbury (played by the criminally underrated Jesse Plemons). Gary is a socially awkward cop with a broken heart who desperately wants to be invited to Max and Annie’s game night. Plemons plays the role with such a straight face which had me hysterically laughing throughout the film.
Whilst most of the jokes are delivered with excellent comic timing, a lot of them are heavily reliant on pop culture references. From Marlon Wayans to the parody of the diner scene in Pulp Fiction, the filmmakers have embedded their script with a variety of pop culture gags, some of which may fly over the heads of casual cinemagoers.
Many studio comedies nowadays opt for generic lighting and camera set-ups in order to make way for ad-libbed scenes. But the slick fluorescent visual palette is what makes it stand out from other comedies in the genre. Some establishing shots are framed in such a way that they make the scene look like a board game.
At one point, there’s even a scene that was constructed to resemble a continuous long take. The cinematography isn’t necessarily ground-breaking, but Barry Peterson (Director of Photography, 21 Jump Street) and his team have delivered some memorable visual moments.
Game Night may not break new ground, narratively speaking, but it is an enjoyable experience. The surprisingly funny cast and the well-timed running gags are just a few reasons why you should check this film out.