Game Night Review
After the all too familiar new year slump, we finally have some promising new releases to go see in theaters. There’s plenty more to look forward to in the coming weeks and as of now, we have Black Panther and Game Night to keep us busy.
This review will be short and sweet. Game Night isn’t anything extraordinary but it’s a good time at the movies. The film follows the on screen couple of Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman. They live for competition (especially their weekly game night) and it’s not until Bateman’s brother (played by Kyle Chandler) comes to town that things take a turn for the worst. Without spoiling anything, a fun murder mystery turns into something much more real than anyone could expect.
Like I said before, Game Night isn’t breaking any new ground. It’s a solid comedy that’s a fun escape for a couple of hours. Nothing more. Nothing less. For the most part, the humor lands and is pretty consistent. It feels pretty familiar but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially considering the slew of bad comedies in the past few years. The one aspect of Game Night that feels very unique is its direction. A memorable original soundtrack is not something that most movies like this can boast. Game Night can. That, combined with its highly stylized establishing shots and clever integration of board game tropes makes it something worth seeing. Together, these elements enhance the solid comedy, drama, and action of the movie. Game Night can easily be categorized as a dark comedy. However, it never gets too depressing or somber, maintaining a constant level of high energy amusement. It succeeds in towing the line between a slapstick comedy and all out thriller. Similar movies often come off as nothing more than a poorly put together series of bad jokes and gags. The #1 benefit of Game Night is that to maintains a constant through line, creating a cohesive whole that also has some heart.
The main negatives of the movie are presented in its final act. By the time the audience knows exactly what is real and what’s not, it begins to get a bit convoluted. The general story is still easy to follow but at the same time it becomes bloated and more and more unrealistic. Not giving anything away (all I’ll say is it involves some blood) one scene in particular makes the whole story fall apart. That might sound detrimental but it’s not game over for a movie like this. At the end of the day, it gives you what you want from a comedy. Good, funny entertainment
If you’re looking for something light with not too much to it, Game Night is definitely worth it.
