Something I like to do is go on IMDb and look for movie suggestions --as if having 1,000+ movies on my list wasn't enough. That's how I stumbled across Tag and, convinced it either had Amy Adams or Charlize Theron, I decided to check it out.
The film tells the story of a group of friends, Hogan "Hoagie" Malloy (Ed Helms), Bob Callahan (Jon Hamm), Randy "Chilli" Cilliano (Jake Johnson), Kevin Sable (Hannibal Buress) and Jerry Pierce (Jeremy Renner), who has been playing the same game of tag for 30 years. When Jerry who has never been tagged plans to retire from the game after his upcoming wedding, the four remaining friends team together to finally tag him.
It's probably one of the most idiotic premises ever which is why I'm still trying to process the fact that the film is based on a true story and grown men actually did something this stupid. That said, although pretty thin and predictable, the story is quite engaging and never boring, and delivers a heartwarming message about friendship.
Unfortunately, that message isn't properly developed and the blame is on the characters. They barely have a characterization and development is nowhere to be found. In other words, they are bland, boring and uninteresting. Also, some of the characters are completely useless, specifically Rashida Jones's Cheryl Deakins, a girl Bob and Chilli have a crush on since always, as she is nothing but a (beautiful) distraction, and Annabelle Willis's Rebecca Crosby, the Wall Street Journal journalist who wrote the article about these guys as it feels like the character slows down the film. At least each character gets a decent amount of screen time, even Jerry's soon-to-be wife (Leslie Bob).
The cast is quite strong throughout the film. I'm not sure comedy is Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner's thing, but the chemistry between all the actors is impressive, and the ladies are pretty enjoyable too. Also, they are clearly having which makes us have fun.
Unfortunately, that's pretty much it with the fun. To make its audience laugh, Tag heavily relies on the absurd situations the characters find themselves into, slapstick and violence. It's dumb humour, in other words, the kind of stuff one would expect from an Ed Helms movie, only it doesn't work that well this time around and the result is an occasionally funny film.
Unfortunately, that message isn't properly developed and the blame is on the characters. They barely have a characterization and development is nowhere to be found. In other words, they are bland, boring and uninteresting. Also, some of the characters are completely useless, specifically Rashida Jones's Cheryl Deakins, a girl Bob and Chilli have a crush on since always, as she is nothing but a (beautiful) distraction, and Annabelle Willis's Rebecca Crosby, the Wall Street Journal journalist who wrote the article about these guys as it feels like the character slows down the film. At least each character gets a decent amount of screen time, even Jerry's soon-to-be wife (Leslie Bob).
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| Warner Bros. Pictures |
Unfortunately, that's pretty much it with the fun. To make its audience laugh, Tag heavily relies on the absurd situations the characters find themselves into, slapstick and violence. It's dumb humour, in other words, the kind of stuff one would expect from an Ed Helms movie, only it doesn't work that well this time around and the result is an occasionally funny film.
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