Tag (2018) ***1/2

“We don't stop playing because we get old; we get old because we stop playing.” This is the motto of the 5 friends who, since they were kids on the playground, have been playing Tag. Now they are grown men with careers and families, living in different cities, but every year they spend the month of May trying to tag each other. They will sneak up and tag each other on the job, at the gym, at a funeral, wherever. For Chilli (Jake Johnson), Callahan (Jon Hamm), Hoagie (Ed Helms), and Sable (Hannibal Buress), the game is what has kept them close over the years. Jerry (Jeremy Renner) is part of the game, too, but his distinction is that he has never been tagged. He's too fast, too athletic, too smart, and maybe just a little too focused on winning the game. While Tag has kept the other guys close, it has created some distance between Jerry and his friends.

Now, the guys think they have their best chance ever to tag Jerry. He is getting married, which means they have a guaranteed place and time that they know where he will be. He hasn't even invited his friends to the wedding,but they find out about it anyway and converge on their hometown to finally bring down the Tag champion.

“Tag” falls flat when it tries to get serious, but it flies high when it is having fun. The cast is stellar, including supporting actresses Isla Fisher and Leslie Bibb. There's a story in there about friendship over the years, and yada yada yada, but what this movie is really about is hilarious physical comedy. The action is fast and furious, and it made me wonder who did the stunts. The answer in some cases is the actors themselves, which is how Jeremy Renner wound up breaking both arms on the set. All those Avengers movies, and he winds up getting hurt doing a comedy!

So, the thing about “Tag” is that it's based on a true story. The Wall Street Journal ran a story in 2013 about 4 grown men who play tag every February, and the crazy lengths they go to to tag each other. The movie “Tag” includes some footage of these goofballs at the end. They aren't as fit or as handsome as the actors who play them, but they look like they are genuinely having a good time. You will, too, if you watch “Tag.”

3.5 stars out of 5