Very competitive spouses Max (Jason Bateman) & Annie (Rachel McAdams) host a weekly game night with friends. On this particular game night, Max’s brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) arranges a live action murder mystery party. During the event, Brooks gets kidnapped, but isn’t it all part of the game? Game Night is a fun ride worth checking out. (No Spoilers)

I actually consider this film a crime or mystery film first. Comedy would be the third tag I give it. As the gang of competitive friends try to best each other by figuring out where Brooks has been taken, they get tossed in some funny situations not realizing how close they might have actually come to death. This is where the film gets a lot of its humor. It also gets it from some hilariously uncomfortable scenes involving Max & Annie’s creepy cop neighbor, Gary.

Rachel McAdams & Jason Bateman play well off each other. If you are looking for something different from Jason Batman, don’t expect it though. He’s always been  typecast as a guy trying to act normal while tossed into uncomfortable shenanigans. This role is no different. That’s fine though. It works. Even after all these years, the typical Jason Bateman role hasn’t gotten old for me.

Jason Bateman as the same character he always usually plays.

When I review comedy, I really try to look outside the box & how other people might feel about it. I understand humor is subjective. We all have different preferences. This film does rely on a lot of awkward/uncomfortable humor. What I like about Game Night is even if awkward humor isn’t your thing, the other elements of the film will still keep you invested.

Since this film came out when Black Panther took control of the box-office, it almost slipped under my radar. I’m glad it didn’t. While I have seen funnier films, this is certainly entertaining enough, and worthy of a rental when it becomes available.

Score: 7/10

Pros

+ if you’re still into it, Jason Bateman is typical Jason Bateman.

+ The scenes with creepy cop neighbor (Gary) are the highlights.

+ The Denzel incident  (you’ll understand when you see the film)

+ It’s entertaining even if it’s not your type of humor.

Cons

– I you’re over it, Jason Bateman is typical Jason Bateman.

– Not enough Michael C. Hall

– The film looses a little steam once everything is revealed.

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Categories: Anything involving Hollywood & TV

Tags: 2018 Comedy films, Game night comedy 2018, Game Night movie, Jason Bateman, Jason Bateman plays the same character, Max & Anne game night, Rachel McAdams 2018