Game Night

Are game nights a thing in Ireland? I haven't a clue tbh. I'd like to think they are. It sounds like a laugh and a fun way to pass a few hours that doesn't involve getting annihilated drunk. A group of adults get together and play cards, scrabble, charades etc. Hopefully if they take off here they won't involve quite as many underground fight clubs and DIY surgery as this one though.

Every week 3 couples get together for a game night hosted by Annie and Max. Max is a ball of stress down to feelings of inadequacy caused by his older, more successful brother Brooks and Annie is feeling it as a result. Of course Brooks then turns up and decides create a SUPER game night. And it's right here that everything in their lives decides to go haywire.

Game Night is good fun. It's not belly laugh funny but it will throw a big smile onto your face and give you a nice few giggles (Squeaky toy, conveyer belt etc). It's the kind of comedy thriller that was prevalent in the 80's and 90's and feels nicely old fashioned as a result. Unlike a lot of modern comedies it lets the funny stuff come from the characters and the situations they find themselves in instead of packing the movie with cheap shock value moments. It economically and sharply draws up the two main characters and gives them identifiable problems that will make you actually give a damn about them. That's a rare thing in modern comedy. Characters that are actually likable and not just vehicles for punchlines.

It of course helps when you pack the cast with actors who do comedy well. Jason Bateman as Max is an old hand at this stuff by now. Rachel McAdams is great fun as Annie and seeing her let loose over the course of the film is a joy. Kyle Chandler as Brooks is fun also and does smarmy passive aggressive bastard very well indeed. The supporting cast has fun too and it's great to see our own Sharon Horgan popping up and getting to keep her own accent too. The whole film is stolen by Jesse Plemons though as the creepy cop next door who would love nothing better than getting in on the game night. Him and his fluffy dog get great mileage.

If you like the idea of Regina George quoting a very famous line from Pulp Fiction while aiming a gun at people it will be right up your street. If you laugh at the idea of a piss poor Denzel Washington impression then it's for you. If the thought of Sharon Horgan chasing after a fake faberge egg while being chased by fighters makes you smile then give this a whirl. There's plenty of great little moments here and they all build up to a fun whole. As with all comedies some of the jokes fall flat but more than enough of them hit the mark to make it all work. In fact the only dud note is a bit of pointless stunt casting near the end that adds up to nothing.

Well worth a watch. And all in under 100 minutes. Perfick. Make sure you see it with a big crowd. Comedies just work better that way.