For as long as I can remember, I have had a strained relationship with board games. When I was a child, once a month or on certain holidays, my mother would take me to a neighbors house for their game night. Children under 13 were not allowed to play, so the underlings were sent off to play with toys and video games. But throughout the house, you could hear the laughing and I desperately wanted to be a part of that. The room was always heavy with smoke and smelled of cheap beer, which is probably why I find the smell comforting. By the time I was old enough to play, these gatherings had stopped, and I graduated to nerdy D&D circles where the group couldn’t be bothered to pay attention between turns. Still, this really didn’t compare to what I thought was happening on my neighbors’ smokey, ruckus game room. Despite never attending a successful one, I decided to take a chance and see Game Night. Maybe it could offer some insight and I would finally have closure. It turns out, playing games with friends might not be as delicate as my memories.

Now, I had reservations about Game Night. I like watching Jason Bateman with his signature wry wit, but there should be a limit to how many times you can cast that. I won’t say I was wrong, but it plays just as well here as anywhere else. Max (Jason Bateman) and his wife Annie (Rachel McAdams) are born to compete in trivial games. Their love of board games brings together their friends, middle school sweethearts Michelle (Kylie Bunbury) and Kevin (Lamorne Morris), and some douche they like named Ryan (Billy Magnussen) and his girl of the week Sarah (Sharon Horgan), while they hide the proverbial night from their neighbor and recent divorcee Gary (Jesse Plemons). Everything comes full tilt when Max’s charismatic, affluent older brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) comes to town. Boyhood rivalry has followed them well into adulthood, Max always trailing behind his big brother Brooks, a fact his friends never let him forget. The comedy really revolves around the board game gang as they get banged around after a night at Brooks goes awry.

Upfront, you won’t be leaving this theater remembering any of the punchlines, but the overall performances. As I sit here writing this, I can’t recall a single joke. Plemons consistently delivers as a dark, brooding cop who can’t seem to communicate in any socially acceptable way. There were moments when I doubted this gag, but it just kept growing on me throughout the film. Morris has an amazing gag and impersonation that kills. Magnussen at no point tries to be lovable, but instead plays nicely against the smart and quick Sarah. It’s not that they have a particularly strong chemistry, but it’s a fun bit with a bunch of first date jokes. The rest of the cast are kind of par for the course, save a few surprise faces which I won’t ruin for you here. They all perform well in their respective pairs and as an ensemble.

So, yea. You’ll laugh in the moment, but after my first viewing, I can’t imagine anything in this film while stick with you. And that isn’t to say its bad, its just not memorable. I can still remember jokes from films like Superbad and Coneheads, and those have almost 15 years between them. Shit, I remember jokes from last year’s Baywatch. I think comedy films should aim for something that sticks beyond a few sight gags and pratfalls. This is fun evening with good company if you both can lighten up and enjoy the performance.

~* 6.5/10 *~