Game Night (2018) ***

 

When the subject turns to favorite, fictional monsters, you'll hear a lot about Jason, from “Friday the 13th” or Freddie, from “Nightmare on Elm Street,” but for my money, the most terrifying monster on screen may be Todd, from “Breaking Bad.” Jesse Plemons played the dead-eyed, blonde-eyebrowed meth dealer with a flair for the banality of evil. Todd did the most horrible things without malice or glee. He didn't seem to take pleasure in killing or torturing people, he just seemed to be missing the part of the brain that makes most people feel bad about doing bad things.

For his supporting role in “Game Night,” Plemons doesn't quite play a sociopath, but he brings that quality of being slightly off, like he might be mildly autistic. He plays the cooky neighbor, the one who isn't invited to game night.

But I should back up. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams play Max and Annie, a couple who absolutely love playing games. Game night with friends is a weekly tradition, one at which their weirdo neighbor, Gary (Plemons), is no longer wanted since he split up with his wife.

Max's rich brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler), is invited reluctantly, as he and Max have an unhealthily competitive relationship. Sure enough, Brooks hijacks game night, inviting everyone to his new, fancier house for a fancier game night. When Brooks ends up getting kidnapped before the hors d'oeuvres are even served, the game is on for real!

In the middle of this pandemic, it's almost hard to fathom that Hollywood could once do something as simple as put together a terrific cast and make a fun, silly comedy, but here's proof. The entire cast bring their A-game, and Rachel McAdams is especially endearing. It might be fair to say that Jason Bateman doesn't have a lot of acting range. He plays the same, likeable, somewhat hapless straight man here that he always plays, but he does it so well that I'm not complaining. The actual story and dialogue aren't exactly winning any awards, but they never get in the way of a good time, either. “Game Night” never had me rolling on the floor, but I was chuckling throughout.

3 stars out of 5