2/22/18

Game Night

Through an opening montage, we see two super-competitive gamers win, win, win. They are so compatible they fall in love and get married. They have been meeting friends once a week to play games for a long time. It's clear that the creepy next-door neighbor is no longer welcome since his wife left him.

Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein ("Vacation") collaborate again, this time with writer Mark Perez ("Back Nine") to bring us this R-rated dramedy (it's funny until it isn't, and then it is again) which shows us what happens when games become too real.

Part of the cast:
  • Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development") Max enjoys games and winning; on the other hand, he has nothing but unhappy memories of his brother.
  • Rachel McAdams ("Spotlight") Annie also loves to win, but she also wants a baby. 
  • Kyle Chandler ("Bloodline") Super-sibling Brooks is new to this little game thing but he is ready to dominate them, especially his brother Max.
  • Jesse Plemons ("The Post") Lonely Gary has always been a cop, been super focused, and been a bit of a misfit. He used to love Game Night at the neighbors' house.
  • Billy Magnussen ("Get Shorty") Ryan isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but his dates make him look brilliant in comparison.
  • Lamorne Morris ("New Girl") Kevin can't help it if he gets a bit jealous, can he? Of Denzel?
  • Kylie Bunbury ("Pitch") Michelle almost gets away with that Faberge egg!
  • Michael C. Hall ("Dexter") Hey Max! Do you wanna meet that Bulgarian you just Googled?
  • Danny Huston ("Wonder Woman") Anderton just wants his lucrative scheme to keep printing money.
This over-the-top black comedy had our screening audience laughing out loud again and again. It is silly, light weight, unpredictable and fun, but trust me, that R rating is richly deserved. Expect profanity, fisticuffs, gunshots and vehicular mayhem, but no blowie uppie stuff.

Make no mistake, this is NOT Art!
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You can get the flavor from this preview:
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