Film review: Game Night (2018)

We have cinema membership cards (Cineworld, Odeon, Empire - they all do them these days) which means that, apart from paying a fixed amount a month and then seeing as many films as we like, we also get invited to see previews of new movies.

This time the movie was Game Night, so without further ado, let’s review:

What’s this all about? Rachel McAdams (in fine comedy form) is Annie, married to Max (Jason Bateman - there will never come a day when I do not appreciate his wicked-dry sarcasm), two very competitive trivia / party game nuts. They have a weekly game night at their house and their three friends come - and one brings his girlfriend-of-the-week, while everyone tries to avoid the creepy next-door-neighbour who also happens to be a police officer. Apparently he was divorced by the ‘good’ gamer and they don’t actually want him to come any more. Cut to Jason’s brother - who everyone thinks is ‘so cool’ because he’s a high flyer and has the most amazing lifestyle - is coming to visit. He decides he’s going to up the ante on poor Max (as he has apparently done their whole lives) and instead of holding your average board or party game night, he’s hired a company that specialises in kidnappings / murder mystery events.

This is a story of misunderstandings, red herrings, clues - and fake clues - nods, nudges and twisty endings. Half of the characters aren’t who you think they are (and not even who they think they are), the set pieces are not there to accomplish what you think, and if you watch closely you still won’t have the ending right.

It’s fun and it’s funny - there’s no malicious intent here, and even the way they treat the neighbour is a lesson. I lost count of the number of times I laughed out loud (in a crowded cinema), or the number of the times the people in the same cinema had to bury their faces in coats / scarves etc. just so they could laugh but still hear the next lines on film. While some of the scenarios were predictable, the humour and the ultimate reckless, cheerful fun of the point of the film carried it through and in any case, the actors made it look effortlessly hilarious.

Shout-out to Sharon Horgan for being proper awesome, as was Kylie Bunbury. Billy Magnussen was a bloody treasure, and Lamorne Morris was excellent. In fact, everyone was so well cast in this it’s impossible to find fault with the acting. Rachel McAdams, who didn’t impress me much in True Detective II was brilliant in this (“Oh no - he died!”), and I applauded her Pulp Fiction reference about as much as Max (yes, I actually clapped while I laughed).

All in all, a very funny film that I know I will enjoy watching again when I’m able. Go for the slapstick, or puns, or wisecracks or sarcasm, stay for the actual plot and the ending - and the gratuitous moments when people get to s-m-i-l-e on film.

Verdict: 9/10; run, don’t walk to your local theatre for this one.