Game Night was directed by John Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (both of which are set to direct the DC Universe Flashpoint film), it was also written by Mark Perez. The film focuses on a competitive couple (played by Jason Batman and Rachel McAdams) who frequently host game nights. One day Bateman’s brother (played by Kyle Chandler) invites the couple and their group of friends to attend a game night of his own, with his car serving as the prize to the victor. But the night does not go as expected since moments after starting their murder mystery themed game, Chandler gets kidnapped by armed thugs. The group of friends then proceed to spend the night searching for Chandler, all while trying to separate what is just a game, and what is real. The story of Game Night chugs along at a quick pace, rarely ever leaving the audience feeling bored, but this comes at the cost of having characters interact with anyone else besides their game partner (there are 3 teams in the game).

All the actors and actresses do a good job of being pretty entertaining, but it’s Jesse Plemons’ character who stands out as the most memorable. This is due to Plemons hilarious performance as the creepy, needy, and recently divorced cop Gary (who is somewhat like Dwight Schrute), who just wants to be invited to the game nights.

The soundtrack is mostly comprised of well-known pop songs, nothing to write home about. But the visuals the film occasionally uses are pretty neat, such as when a scene shifts perspective to another location. This is shown using a Beetlejuice-esk model city zooming in on the new location.

It’s no masterpiece, but for a comedy, Game Night is a ton of fun. If you’ve already seen Black Panther, I’d suggest giving Game Night a shot.

Score: 7

Pros:

• Fast Pace
• Most jokes are a hit
• Twists
• Gary

Cons:

• Most characters aren’t very memorable
• A scene that goes on for way too long (the one with the wound)
• Dates itself too hard, will probably be harder to watch as the years go on