Game Night (2018)

Directed by: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein | 100 minutes | comedy, crime | Actors: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Sharon Horgan, Billy Magnussen, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, Jesse Plemons, Michael C. Hall, Danny Huston, Chelsea Peretti, Camille Chen, Zerrick Williams, Joshua Mikel, RF Daley, John Frances Daley, Michael Cyril Creighton, Brooke Jaye Taylor, Jonathan Goldstein, Natasha Hall, Jessica Lee, Malcolm X Hughes

Game Night is about Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams), who meet at a pub quiz. Their common predilection for games and competitive nature prove to be sufficient basis for a relationship. Once married, they regularly organize game nights, in which different friends, mostly couples, participate over the years. Super cozy and good for marriage. It’s not all roses, however, with Max and Annie. The desired family expansion is delayed and the fertility doctor quickly points out the sore spot: Max is stressed by the arrival of his older, much more successful brother Brooks and therefore he is currently less fertile.

When Brooks (Kyle Chandler) invades their game night and impresses their friends, Max and Annie are almost at the limit of irritation. They accept the invitation to have Game Night at Brooks’s house next time, but all feelers are on edge. Brooks has a fantastic idea, he says, and he will make sure this is a night to remember. Instead of cheesy board games, he’s hired an agency that organizes murder mysteries. Within an hour of the start of the social gathering, one of the group will be kidnapped. Whoever finds the victim gets Brooks’ 1976 Corvette Stingray, not coincidentally Max’s dream car as a little boy.

A somewhat experienced movie viewer will feel the first plot twist coming for minutes. From the moment Brooks announces that someone will be kidnapped for fake, you already know that real criminals will show up in the story and that not every participant in the evening will immediately realize that. Fortunately, that knowledge is not an obstacle to viewing pleasure. ‘Game Night’ is a smooth, amusing action comedy, in which the unbelievability is just as little an obstacle as the predictability.

The cast, with McAdams, Bateman and Chandler leading the way, have excellent comedic timing and couple Ryan (Billy Magnussen) and Sarah (Sharon Horgan) are also funny together. Refreshing to see a male dumb blonde in a movie for once! Less successful is the storyline about the third couple, Kevin and Michelle (Lamorne Morris and Kylie Bunbury), who, in the midst of all the confusion and tension, still find time to squabble over a jealousy issue. Special mention to the ultracreepy Jesse Plemons, who, as a neighbor of Max and Annie, makes all your neck hairs stand on end.

‘Game Night’ is a nice mix of comedy, action, suspense and romance (Max and Annie are really fun together!). The jokes are only sporadically lewd and vulgar, but they stem from the characters and the situations they find themselves in, which is a breath of fresh air. A modern screwball comedy, which you will watch with a big smile on your face.