GAME NIGHT REVIEW

If you want to watch a movie which has all the commercial elements then look no further. 

By Hariharan Sivaji

It has been a long time since a smart, quirky but dark film graced our screens. Game night is exactly the description, as the duo John Francis Daley and Johnathan G          oldstein have come up with an exciting, black comedy backed up by stellar performances from Jason Bateman, Billy Magnussen and Rachel McAdams.

The plot seems simple, the couple Annie (Rachel McAdams) and Max (Jason Bateman) are extremely competitive who love winning their game night every week as this is a distraction for the couple argument of starting a family. However, it all goes down south when a murder mystery turns all wring when Max’s brother (Kyle Chandler) who staged it is kidnapped out of nowhere.

Much was expected, as the directing duo wrote Horrible Bosses (the first one) which is one of the best black comedy is on the imaginative screenplay which weaved through with just perfection as the out of the blue twists grabs the audience attention.

Another strongpoint of Game Night is the reliance on smart witty comedy, rather than slapstick humour as it could have been far easier to completely rely on pure slapstick comedy. The chemistry between Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams in terms of their comic timing elevates the clever writing and the subsequent scenes.

Coming to the performances, the directors have given all the actors equal importance throughout the film. Be it Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams part or Kevin (Lamorne Morris) desperation to find out the celebrity who slept with his childhood sweetheart turned wife in a game of Never ever have I ever. There is also a hilarious romantic track between Ryan (Billy Magnussen) who unpredictably falls for Sarah (Sharon Morgan).

It does not mean that Game night is perfect by any means. There are a few predictable scenes in the second half which slows down the pace of the film. Maybe the editors could have cut down certain scenes to make it crispier and neater.

Yet the negatives can definitely be overlooked as Game Night is a crowd-pleasing mindless entertainment perfect for a trip to the cinema on a Friday.

Rating 3.5/5

Director- John Francis Daley

                 Johnathan Goldstein

Starring- Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan,  

                Kyle Chandler

Music-    Cliff Martinez

Cinematography- Barry Paterson

Editors-  Jamie Gross, Gregory Plotkin, David Egan

Running time-  100 minutes