‘Never exclude me again…’
To say I have a soft spot for the Horrible Bosses movies would be an understatement. I saw both films at the cinema and laughed like a lunatic the whole time. Seriously, it was weird. Could writer-director Jonathan Goldstein strike gold again with his latest comedy caper? Not quite…
The premise is solid if a little contrived. Max (Jason Bateman) has always lived in his brother’s shadow, despite being married to the beautiful Annie (Rachel McAdams) and having an altogether great life. When the superior sibling (Kyle Chandler) comes to town for a game night, stakes become pretty high, pretty damn quickly.
A supporting cast including Lamorne Morris, Jesse Plemons and Sharon Horgan share in the fun with a few tasty cameos thrown in for good measure. Firstly, Bateman is as funny as ever, sharing a believable and likeable chemistry with Rachel McAdams. They are let down by their forgettable supporting cast however, with even the usually dependable Plemons misfiring in a one-dimensional role.
The plot is predictable and the now stereotypical twists and turns feel tired and uninspiring. A subplot about Max and Annie trying for a baby fails to add any much-needed emotional resonance. While Horrible Bosses coasts by on the sheer star power of its cast, Game Night often feels laboured and directionless. We have all seen films of this ilk done many times before and done better.
Ultimately, Game Night is certainly not a terrible film, but it is a forgettable one and the frustrating thing is that it could have been so much more. The fact that I am really struggling to hit my minimum word count of 300 words is indicative of how little there is to say about this movie. Gotta squeeze in 12 more words from somewhere though… erm… do you come here often? Local sports team suck, right? Seriously though, skip this movie.