Cinema Wednesdays - Marina De Toro
Once a week, couple Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel MacAdams) organize a game night with their closest friends. For some time now, they've all been meeting at the young couple's house in secret, as they no longer wish to have the strange neighbor Gary present during game nights. Max and Annie are pop culture and role-playing games of all kinds, and have taken part in several small competitions; in fact, it was at a gaming tournament that they first met. So when Max's brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) suggests a memorable game night for the couple and their friends, they all turn up at his home, eager to find out what he has cooked up for them.
The principle of the evening is simple: it's a life-size role-playing game in which Brooks has planned a scene in which one of the players will be kidnapped. As for the others, their objective will be to find him or her thanks to clues hidden at various stages of the game. murder party. The couple who find the abducted participant will win a very valuable sixties car. However, players will have to be careful not to confuse staging with reality, and that's what makes the game so thrilling in their opinion. However, the game night won't go as planned for either Brooks or the players, but it will be unforgettable all the same.
A comedy we've already seen
Screenwriters John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein of How to kill your boss? are back, but this time as directors for Game Night. The recipe they use for these American comedies is always the same: a few characters with little depth, zany humor, grotesque situations, an unusual story, action scenes, and all sprinkled with a touch of irony. In the USA, this type of comedy, like Very Bad Trip, corresponds to most of the new American comedies released around 2010. Game Night is one of those new films with a special concept designed to surprise and delight.
Playful and ironic
Throughout the film, the viewer follows the various protagonists as they search for the kidnapped player. The personalities of these characters are not really explored in depth; each couple is a caricature of middle- or even upper-class Americans, who always present an image that is more ideal than reality. Brooks, for example, perfectly illustrates the American dream, compared to his brother Max, by showing off his sports car or boasting of his colossal fortune. So it's not the character development that's worked on in this film, but rather the humor and the few references to popular culture.
There are also a few criticisms, including that of rich people who, not knowing what to do with their money, organize parties. Fight Club to bet on the winner of a fight. References to other forms of play are evoked, such as the egg hunt that slips into the murder party or the riddles throughout the film. Game Night is a playful, American-style form of entertainment that aims to surprise with the concept of murder party. Nevertheless, there's a lack of ambition in terms of characters and script. This may be due to an intention not to alienate fans of modern American comedies, who are strongly attached to zany humor and unusual situations.
Write to the author: marina.detoro@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © Warner Bros
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