Noche de juegos

This hilarious gonzo comedy has a sharp script, clever direction, and an excellent cast. In Game Night, writer Mark Perez and directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have crafted a tightly structured story with little visual tricks that turn out to be significant. That said, the movie really lives and dies by its cast, and this is a top-notch ensemble. Morris -- dependably funny on TV's New Girl -- gets laughs from his bubbling jealousy and dead-on Denzel Washington impersonation, clicking well with Bunbury. Horgan drily delivers as someone who's far too smart for her date; you'll likely wish there was more of her in the film. Magnussen is spectacularly idiotic as Ryan, which is a gift. Open-hearted blockheads are always welcome in comedies such as this, and Magnussen -- who's shown his dramatic chops in the likes of Birth of the Dragon -- hits it out of the park. Plemons' dead-eyed Gary generates big laughs by doing as little as possible. His stony "I see you" face and monotone delivery steal every scene he's in. (At one point, he happily invites the group into his house ... and, with a frozen smile, slowly backs into the darkness.)

And as Max and Annie, Bateman and McAdams have great chemistry. Their timing together, their small reactions to each other; they really read as a couple who love each other, have a lot in common, and accept each other's quirks. Oh, and they're really funny. Bateman, as usual, is an effective straight man with subdued wit. McAdams gets to be a little wackier than usual and has some superb reaction moments. They're an appealing pair, and we're happy to follow them through this gleefully bloody comedy with a fair amount of twists and genuine laughs.

"Where'd you find her? TED Talk?"

If you're game for a hilarious night at the movies, then see the black comedy Game Night. This romantic thriller is a mix of screwball comedy, Marx Brothers slapstick, and witty repartee you'll vow to go back for (about the handsomer brother: "He's like the Mark Wahlberg to Max's Donnie!") so you can catch at least half of the brilliant dialogue from the pen of writer Mark Perez.

Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) is a childless married couple who relax with friends playing highly competitive games like Scrabble and Charades. This night, however, with the return of his charming, successful brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler), the game becomes fraught with sibling rivalry and violence that somehow never eclipses the humor. For the audience, determining what is just a game and what is real is the enjoyable endgame, and not easily solved.

The high-flying chases and quips remind me of Grant and Russell in their screwball days, throwing intellectual barbs while their lives are at stake (about a ditzy blonde guest: "Where'd you find her? TED Talk?"). Although Bateman has cornered the market on the clueless but still sharp middle class professional with the classic slow burn, McAdams is a discovery as a robust bright partner only a little clueless but plenty savvy. Her takeoff on Amanda Plummer with the diner hostages in Pulp Fiction is priceless.

Besides McAdams' surprise comedic chops, Jesse Plemons as the off- center, next-door cop Gary sheds his Matt Damon lookalike calling card and crafts a memorable role to prove his talent as a comic character. However, he's just another achiever in an ensemble overloaded with charm. Now and then a fine film comes in this dead-zone time of year: Game Night is that one, a promise of good films to come long after Oscar has gone to hibernation.

I watched "Game Night" on an 8-hour flight back from Denmark immediately after watching another comedy, "Blockers." While "Blockers" had some funny moments, compared to "Game Night" it came across as a random assortment of gags, and the importance of a tight script in a comedy was made clear in the comparison.

"Game Night" is very funny, mostly because of the winning combination of Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, but this is the rare comedy that gives all of its actors moments to shine. Good, funny comedies are extremely hard to come by, so if you've been searching in vain for one, give this one a try.

Grade: A-

This is not a movie I went in expecting to love, in all honesty it was just the next film showing. Imagine my surprise when I was treated to one of the best comedies I have see in quite a while. Bateman and McAdams are as likeable and charismatic as you would expect and the rest of the cast are pretty great too. It helps that this cast were given well written, interesting characters to work with. This film also boasts brilliant and creative camera work as well as very imaginative transitions that help to draw the viewer into the story and show that a lot of thought and effort was put into the making of this film. There are a small handful of jokes that don't land and a small number of logical errors but for the most part it is a very funny and entertaining thrill-ride, also stay during the beginning of the credits as they are very well done. Keep away from trailers for this film as they do give some things away that are better not to know going in, once this hits Netflix definitely check it out.

7/10

GAME NIGHT may not be a great film by any stretch of the imagination, but it's definitely a genuine blast and an entertaining ride from beginning to the very end (seriously, stay for the post-credits scene!) The rare major studio comedy that actually feels like a film, rather than a soulless exercise in assembly-line filmmaking, thanks to such creative choices like Cliff Martinez's thumping score and Barry Peterson's cinematography, which not only introduces new locations as if zooming in on a board game piece, but also sports a surprisingly well-executed long take. Lamorne Morris and Billy Magnussen are some of the obvious standouts among the film's enjoyable cast of characters, but Jesse Plemons is the true MVP, stealing every single one of his scenes with ease. The film isn't without its problems, with the convoluted third act jumping the shark almost to the point of parody, and not all of the jokes land (although most do thanks to the cast's great comedic timing), but nonetheless GAME NIGHT makes for a perfectly fun time at the movies.