GAME NIGHT: Creative Comedy With A Memorable Motif

John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein direct Game Night, a comedic take on David Fincher‘s The Game. Game Night stands out by masterfully blending the absurdity of its comedy and the realistic problems of its central characters. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams headline the film as Max and Annie, a couple brought together by their love of competition. Max and Annie host game nights, populated by their friends including: married couple Kevin (Lamorne Morris) and Michelle (Kylie Bunbury), lovably idiotic Ryan (Billy Magnussen), and whichever lady he happens to bring as a date that night.

When Max’s brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) comes to town and tries to take over game night, this pushes Max’s competitive nature into overdrive. After seeing a string of instagram models as Ryan’s plus one, he brings his smart and witty co-worker Sarah (Sharon Horgan) to Brooks’ game night.

Game Night does a wonderful job of establishing its characters and their relationships early on, so once the central action of the film begins, we already have an idea of who the characters are and what this special game night means for them. Showing the beginning of Max and Annie’s relationship before diving into their married life down the line with its ups and downs works well at establishing a connection between the characters and the audience.

In his effort to take over game night, Brooks plans an elaborate murder mystery game, where someone will be kidnapped, leaving all the others to solve the crime. Very quickly, this game takes a turn, leaving most of the characters unaware of the shift.

Cinematography and Motif

Game Night took me by surprise in how much attention was given to the cinematography, especially in relation to creating a board game motif. I especially loved the opening sequences, showing Max and Annie’s blossoming relationship through transitions focused around the games which bring them together.

Throughout the film, the scene transitions work to make the world resemble the models you would find in board games. This worked very well as a way to focus on the characters unwittingly treating real scenarios as a game. Game Night managed to craft something visually interesting and unique which very easily could have been heavy-handed.

Game Night did a wonderful job of mixing a well-done board game motif with the more serious problems and performances of its central characters. The film is satirical of twisting and turning action films, yet the characters always had the right amount of realism to their choices, even the choices that come across as stupid to anyone else.

Stand-Out Performances

Two performances in Game Night stood out to me, which is an accomplishment, since everyone in the film gave memorable and entertaining performances from Magnussen’s look of child-like wonder when he was right about something everyone else doubted to Horgan’s quick wit and ability to quickly and naturally go from moments of honest laughter to moments of unforgettable deadpan.

Rachel McAdams performance as Annie stands out, especially in the scenes where she is unaware that everything is actually happening. Watching her sing into a gun, waving it around in the air carelessly, and playfully sticking it in her mouth for a photo op is both magically amusing and cringe-worthy for the aware audience.

After watching McAdams in Game Night, I wish she was given more opportunities for comedy. She has real talent in the genre. I’m reminded of when I saw her portray Regina George in Mean Girls in 2004, and I instantly wanted to see more of her in the genre. Watching Game Night reinstated this desire for McAdams to build a career more focused on her comedic talents.

The other performance which pushed to the foreground for me was Jesse Plemons performance as Gary, a recently divorced cop, who desperately wants to reinstate himself in the game nights he lost when his wife left him. Plemons has a talent for portraying creepy characters, but what stood out about his performance in Game Night is how this creepiness was a front for the sheer loneliness his character experiences.

Presenting his character in a similar way to the villain in a horror film, made these moments even funnier than I expected. Even from the trailer, I knew Plemons’ delivery was the perfect mixture of awkward and uneasy. I can see this not being as funny to everyone, but I thought his moments of awkward dialogue delivered with a hint of unaware malice were some of the funniest moments of the film.

Game Night: Conclusion

Game Night is a visually memorable comedy, filled to the brim with wonderful performances. While watching Game Night in a packed theater, I spent my time both laughing and applauding the cinematography. I hope Game Night helps McAdams and Plemons land more much-deserved comedic work.

Are you looking forward to seeing Game Night? If you have seen it, do you think it will help the resurgence of comedy as a blockbuster genre? Tell us in the comments below!

Game Night was released February 23, 2018 in the US and will be released on March 2, 2018 in the UK. For all international release dates, see here.