‘Game Night’ Review
If you want to look back at board game adaptations for films, they don't work and why we have a lack of them. Battleship (2012) was a lame duck that seemly wasn't right from the start. A supposed Candyland film with Adam Sandler has been in development hell for sometime filled with lawsuits (yes, that bad). And the only board game film that was remotely successful was Clue and you have to go back to 1985 for that. But let's remember, they are films based on board games and really how do you get a story out of it? Game Night is New Line's latest comedy that puts a new spin on a gaming adaptation that channels something like Date Night (2010) to make something special.
Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) are a happy couple whose life and social life revolves around game night's with their group of friends. After Max's brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) comes to town with a game night proposition of his own, Max and Annie find themselves and their group of friends entrenched in a murder mystery that blurs the line between what's real and what's not.
It's not an original idea to start with but it's the cast here that makes this fun. With the high chemistry between them, Bateman and McAdams are innocent people that shouldn't be involved in something like this but they are. McAdams is that Mom figure that shouldn't have a gun and deal with weapons but it's just so fun when she does though. Gary (Jesse Plemons) is the creepy neighbor along with being a cop who adds dark comedy and adds more suspense to the film. Actors Lamorne Morris and Billy Magnussen both are high humor guys who provide maybe the most laughs in supporting roles and it's breakout roles for both them. Even though it's not his sharpest performance in the acting department, Kyle Chandler does work as this mystery character who keeps you guessing till the final moments.
Game Night is a fun mix of twists and turns. A comedy that's different and puts board games to films in a good use.
