When I first read the synopsis of Game Night and watched the trailer for the film, I was intrigued. A social game night that turns into a pseudo-murder mystery? Who wouldn’t want to watch a film like that? Thanks to Roadshow Films, I was able to attend the media screening for the film last week.
Game Night is a rather dark, action-comedy film which follows a group of friends, led by Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams), as they attempt to one up each other and come in first in what they believe to be an epic ‘game night’ murder-mystery game. Little do they realise that the events they believe to be just a game, is oh-so-real.
The film was filled with slapstick humour from start to finish, typical of a film starring the comical Jason Bateman. Unlike other dark comedies, the humour was fresh and the banter between characters genuine making the film come across as an actual story that audiences are actually part of.
Being a murder-mystery, the narrative was on point with unpredictable twists and turns that will leave audiences on the edge of their seats, desperately trying to figure out ‘whodunnit’. It was refreshing to watch a comedy film such as Game Night take on the genre in a way that was genuinely captivating. Most often, films like these tend to fall short by giving away too much too soon or by being incredibly predictable. Game Night actually managed to keep audiences guessing, making for an exhilarating experience.
Character development was also on point, with each character having enough on screen time for audiences to truly grasp their personalities and how they tie in to the story as a whole. Of all the actors in the film, however, it was Jesse Plemons’ character, Officer Gary, that stole the show. It’s almost as if Plemons is a master of making audiences uncomfortable and he does it so brilliantly well.
Game Night is definitely a film worth watching if you’re a fan of an unpredictable plot, truck loads of laughs and twists and turns that will have you scratching your head trying to figure the film out. If you enjoy comedies such as Horrible Bosses, then this film is for you. Just be warned that some of the humour can be rather crude and there are some rather ‘gory’ bits in the film too.