Game Night

So many positive reviews for this start with some variation on “I went into this not expecting much”, and then go on to explain their pleasant surprise at how much they enjoyed the movie. Far be it from me to break from that formula, because that’s exactly what happened to me. I remember seeing the trailer and dismissing it. And then I kept hearing good things about it, but it fell off my radar. When I got reminded of it, I decided to give it a whirl, and to my surprise, this is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in years. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are both excellent at comedy, and their chemistry here is impeccable. The supporting cast all deliver as well, especially Jesse Plemmons, who, holy cow, he is FUNNY. There’s really not a weak performance here, and the material is almost always solid. It does run a tiny bit long, and there’s some moments where I rolled my eyes at the absurdity (Bateman gets shot through the arm at one point, and later gets stabbed in the bullet wound, and his reaction isn’t unbelievable pain but annoyance and incredulity), but they did not detract from the overall fun of Game Night. It’s fun, it’s laugh out loud funny, it’s a great blend of comedy and action, and it’s got two leads who could do this in their sleep but showed up wide awake and ready to deliver an A+ performance. I’m not gonna spoil any of the jokes or the plot. Just go watch it and have a night of good laughs.