Game Night | Film Review

Hey Guys x

I wanted to see this when it first came out, but for some reason it didn't get a theatrical release at my local cinema, so I had to wait for it! But I'm glad that I've now seen it!

It's about a competitive couple called Max and Annie (Played by Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams respectively), who have a weekly game night with two other couples. One week, Max's brother Brooks joins the game night, planning his own murder mystery themed game where the goal is to find Brooks once he has been kidnapped. So of course, when he gets kidnapped, it's just part of the game, right? When each couple tries to solve the case, they begin to realise that nothing is as it seems, and what appears to be a game, may just end up being reality.

This film is as funny as it is original, and it's certainly refreshing to have a film that is a thriller/comedy hybrid and works so well.

One of the great things about the film is that there are many twists and turns. The audience knows as much or as little as the characters actually in this situation, which makes you as a viewer that much more invested in what happens to these characters.

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are a dream duo. Bateman is a comedian, this is something that is well known through many of his performances, so this is expected. But the chemistry that he has with McAdams (who is known to be proficient in many genres, particularly romance) is just amazing. This is a hilarious couple that you root for, and whether the game is real or not, you definitely want them to win it!

It also has the right action-to-comedy-to-gore ratio, again something that you wouldn't necessarily see all in the same film. Not to give anything away, but there are a lot of gunshots and deaths (or fake deaths) in the movie that definitely stop it from being just a run-of-the-mill comedy.

It has a smart script, was very well directed and there is definitely something in there for a possible sequel, particularly how it ends.

One criticism would be that there is a scene near the end of the film which seems to solve everything that has happened, but then something else comes out of the wood-work and really confuses you as to what is real and what isn't, to the point there you're running everything that you've seen in the last hour through your mind to find out if it's real or fake. But as I assume this is what the director wanted, it makes sense.

So overall, I would definitely recommend this film no matter what genre you're in the mood for. It has a bit of everything and will definitely keep you entertained and thinking long after the credits roll!

Lou