Game Night (2018)

I kinda have a thing for Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams so when I heard they made a movie together, a crime comedy, I was very excited. To that, add the fact that I've read only good things about Game Night. You can imagine how excited I was. And thank god I was not disappointed. 

Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams), who met during trivia night at a bar, fell quickly in love and got married, host competitive game nights every week with their friends. This time, Max's older and more successful brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler), comes to town and tells the group that he'd be hosting a murder mystery night. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, they all think it's part of the game. But as they set out to solve the case, they find out that it wasn't part of the game and they find themselves entangled in a real crime. 

The plot is simple, there are some holes here and there, some subplots that aren't as exciting as the others (I still wanted to know who was the celebrity Michelle slept with), nor as well developed, and it is a little predictable, but it's fun, it has a couple of great twists, takes some surprising turns, and it will keep you engaged and interested from start to finish.

The characters aren't deep or anything. Most of them don't even have a proper characterization, not to mention the fact that most of the stuff they do makes absolutely no sense. And yet seeing these people's reactions to the events happening that night is fun, and there's something about them that will make you quickly fall in love with them, and care for them. 

Also, each character has their moment to shine, and the actors make sure to own those moments. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are both hilarious as Max and Annie respectively, and their chemistry is so good! The supporting cast also does a good job but some are better than others, and those are Kyle Chandler who does a very good job as Max' brother Brooks, Billy Magnussen who turns out to be pretty good at being dumb and especially Jesse Plemons as Gary, Max and Annie's awkward neighbour. Awkward comedy isn't easy to get right but Plemons kills it and makes it looks very easy. 

Warner Bros. Pictures

Humour-wise, Game Night is a winner. The film has black and adult humour but not the kind that needs to be vulgar in order to be effective. There are some original jokes whose delivery is on spot, and the slapstick is more witty than silly. A few jokes fall flat, but given that storyline, I was not expecting to laugh that much, nor to have such a great time. 

The cinematography is also very interesting. Some parts are crafted in a way that it makes us feel like the events we are witnessing are all part of a board-game, which is pretty cool and gives the filmmaker the chance to make some stylish, visually interesting action sequences. There's also a pretty good use of music in Game Night, and there are also a lot of great songs. Also, there are some brilliant references in this film --my favourite being Annie waving her fake gun around and quoting Amanda Plummer in Pulp Fiction.