Game Night

Story:
A couple who is excessively addicted to playing board games find themselves trapped in a game night that is as unexpected as it is dangerous.

Review:
Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) are two board-game addicts who bond and later marry over their love of competitive gaming. Be it Jenga, Monopoly, Scrabble or Dumb Charades; there is no game they won’t indulge in over the weekends with their friends. One fine day, Max’s elder and more successful brother Brooks (Kylie Chandler) shows up and hosts a game at his swanky pad causing the ever-competitive Max to go in an overdrive. Now he has to win, to get back for all those years of losing to his elder, smarter brother. However, they are not playing silly board games anymore as Brooks arranges for a life-like kidnapping scenario where the players have to track him as he gets kidnapped by fake goons by following clues left around the house. The real thrill begins though, when they realise that the kidnapping is very real and that the goons carry actual guns and that this is not a game anymore.

It’s a joy when a film doesn’t take itself so seriously, yet remains committed steadfastly to its goofiness, and 'Game Night' is one such film. The scene where Brooks is being thrashed around the house as the other participants binge on cheese and snacks as they appreciate the ‘life-like’ thrashing that Brooks is being subjected to is one among the several hilarious moments in the film. The characters are all so close to actual physical danger as the game gets real makes for some thrilling moments. But even when they do realise that the situation is indeed dire, the filmmakers dial-up the craziness a notch and the tense ride becomes even more fun. The jokes in the film are tight, the action is slick and the dark moments are made so funny by the excellent writing that you never get bored and can never guess what may come next. The side-splitting situational comedy that the film indulges in is refreshing and genuinely hilarious.

The filmmaker duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein employ the same irreverence they used when they co-wrote 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' and deliver a ludicrous laugh-riot with 'Game Night'. So go ahead and revel in the craziness of this film as it takes you for a sweet, silly ride.