Game Night was surprisingly fun and enjoyable.  I’m just gonna say that right away, because you readers know I generally don’t enjoy most of the modern comedy films I’ve seen the last year or two.  (Points to Fist Fight because that was a pile of crap.)

You’ve seen the trailer for Game Night by now I’m assuming, which actually does give you a good idea of what you’re in for:

Jason Bateman is extremely well cast in this, his style of deadpan delivery in the most obscure of situations is perfect.  Rachel McAdams, who isn’t typically my favorite actress in the world, is mostly adorable.

The story revolves around a highly competitive married couple who host a weekly game night, and the hijinks that ensue when Max’s (Bateman) brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) shows up with Max’s dream car and wants to host a night at his house.  I won’t go into details, because you really don’t want this spoiled.

The true unsung hero is Jesse Plemons, who is again wonderfully weird in his role of police officer neighbor who used to join in the weekly gathering.

Score: 3.5 out of 5, viewed in standard non 3d, would watch again

THE GOOD:

You know, I was not expecting the cinematography to be as good as it was.  There are some absolutely spectacular macro shots that seamlessly slide into a regular crane shot, much like how Beetlejuice used the model town in it’s opening scenes.  The action is good, the humor is just at that level where low brow and high brow meet, no poop or dick jokes here!

Also, the stunts are surprisingly top notch.  There’s a scene with a plane and a corvette, and you’ll be impressed too, I think.

THE BAD:

I totally guessed almost all the twists, but that’s me, and it did NOT detract from my enjoyment at all.  There isn’t really anything I can outright complain about, maybe another pass to tighten up the script and this could have been even stronger.

Game Night opens on March 2nd, and will no doubt continue the resurgence trend of weekly get-togethers around a board game. (Visit your local game stores for ideas.)