Film Review: Game Night (2018)

Rating: 8/10

Genre: Mystery/Comedy

Related Titles: Identity Thief, The House, Spy

By Leanne Harragan

Max and Annie's game night gets a little crazy when Max's brother arranges a murder mystery game. So when one of the players gets kidnapped, it's all part of the game or is it? As the competitors begin to solve the mystery they soon learn that things are not what they seem and they find themselves thrown out of their comfort zone for a chaotic night. 

A surprisingly funny film, it's a laugh from beginning to end and while sometimes the jokes were predictable and a bit cringe they were delivered so well. I think what makes this film work so well is the enthusiastic cast who clearly give everything they've got with the help of a clever, quick witted script.

This kind of film standard for Jason Bateman and reminds me of 'Identity Thief' and 'Horrible Bosses' with the elaborate plots and silliness overall. Bateman plays Max a man who seemingly has a great life, with one minor problem, him and his wife Annie (Rachel McAdams) are unable to conceive. As the film progresses you find out plausibly why and the film goes to extremes for Max to overcome this problem. The film is very aware of itself and even pokes fun at action movies. For me a stand-out in this was McAdams who playing a suburban housewife being let lose on a 'make believe' kidnapping was hilarious, her delivery was always on point and paired with Bateman they make a great power couple. 

The plot is fast paced and from the get-go, it doesn't stop until the very last second; plot twists galore and the audience doesn't really know what to expect next. One of my favourite scenes was the montage of Max and Annie's relationship that all revolved around their competitiveness and love for board games! Being called 'Game Night', board games are a key to the plot but this film keeps it up and comes full circle when a seeming favourite charades is used to save the day. 

There's not really much else that can be said about this one! It's funny, clever and at times a little bloody. The only part that wasn't believable was that six adults could all find a night that they were free to play board games every single week (not in a million years!) If you do decide to go and see this one, stick around for the credits because even this is well thought out. 

Rating: 8/10

By Rebecca Mannick

I went into Game Night thinking that it would be a little trashy, quite funny and fairly basic. In some cases it was just that, but overall it surpassed my expectations. By no means was I lol-ing the whole way through but it had some parts which made me giggle. What surprised me the most was the complexity of the storyline. This had obviously been well thought out and honestly they could have used the plot in any other genre. It could have been a horror or murder mystery but the comedy element seemed perfect for the cast who executed Game Night perfectly. 

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdam's really held it together and were a believable couple. But obviously there were some moments that were completely unbelievable which were quite funny, like when Max (Bateman) had been shot accidentally by Annie (McAdams) and goes the entirety of the movie with a gunshot wound. 

I'm also glad that this was a 15 rated film, maybe it's because I'm getting older but I find films funnier when they are on the line or over the edge of being PC. Honestly would have enjoyed it more if it was an 18 and they could add more shocking elements. I feel like Game Night has really reached it's full potential and while not being a conventional comedy. It's great to see a fully developed storyline when you don't really expect it. Anyway, go see it, or invite all your mates over for a game night and watch it haha.