The action-comedy genre has been one of Hollywood’s most prevalent in recent years. When done right, these movies can be some of the most successful, entertaining, and widely loved Hollywood offerings. Unfortunately, though, getting them right hasproven to be a fairly difficult task. In the last couple of years alone, we’ve seen a number of high-octane comedic films released to varying degrees of commercial and critical success, includingThe Fall Guy,Bullet Train,Argylle,Wolfs,The Instigators,Free Guy,The Lost City,Ghosted, and most recently,Back in Action.
Although some of these films did find more audience and critical support than others,none were able to reach the heightsthatJohn Francis DaleyandJonathan Goldstein’sGame Nightdid in 2018. Arguably the most recenttrulygreat action-comedy — inheriting that title fromThe Nice Guys, which was released two years prior —Game Nightprovided the blueprint for how to make an effective modern action-comedy film that is able to stand the test of time.
‘Game Night’s Clever Plot Drops Regular People Into a Suspenseful, Action-Packed Story
Game NightstarsJason Batemanas MaxandRachel McAdamsas Annie, a highly competitive married couple who host weekly game nights for their group of friends. One of these nights goes awry whenMax’s successful and effortlessly charming older brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler), returns to town and hosts a murder mystery-style game night that becomes all too real whenBrooks is actually kidnapped. This ingenious plot, which is filled with a healthy dose of twists and turns, is crucial toGame Night’s success because it establishes a narrative in whichneither the action nor comedy seems out of place.
Daley and Goldstein’s cast is rounded out by excellent supporting talent.Sharon Horgan,Billy Magnussen,Lamorne Morris,Kylie Bunbury,andJesse Plemonsall shine as regular everyday people who have found themselves, along with Max and Annie, thrown into this unexpected chase to save Brooks’ life. So much of the film’s comedy arises from the inherent dissonance that exists between themundane nature of these charactersand the thrilling and strange situations they find themselves in. While the scenarios become increasingly absurd and complex — reminiscent of a comedic version ofDavid Fincher’sThe Game—Game Nightnever reaches the point of being so far-fetched that it loses the audience’s investment. The characters are fully realized and brought to life so well by the film’s comedically gifted and tremendously charismatic cast, making it impossible for the viewer not to root for them regardless of where the story goes.
Game Nightis an exceptionally well-paced film, whichaids in its rewatchability. The story unfolds briskly, being injected with energy frequently bymemorable moments of action or comedy. Individual scenes, lines of dialogue, and recurring bits stick in the viewer’s head when first witnessed, ultimatelyinviting many re-watches down the line. Anyone who has scrolled social media at any point in the last seven years can attest toGame Night’s staying power, as many of the film’s more celebrated moments are constantly resurfacing. Most notably,Plemons' offbeat and meme-friendly character, Gary, has been the inspiration for a litany of online posts since the film’s release.
‘Game Night’s Filmmakers Perfectly Balance Laughs With Thrills
Game Night’s greatest strength is its ability toperfectly blend action and comedy, never favoring one genre over the other. The film’s screenwriter,Mark Perez, along with its directing pair, took advantage of the fact that they had a cast made up of comedically-inclined — or at least gifted — performers. Though the witty script is littered with funny moments, the creative forces behindGame Nightseemingly knew that so much comedy would inherently arise in their filmdue to their casting decisions, allowing them to clear a lot of room forgenuinely thrilling action setpiecesthroughout. They incorporated exciting car chases, shootouts, and scenes of hand-to-hand combat, all while impressively managing tonever lose the film’s comedic tone.
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Oftentimes, inGame Night,electrifying or even gruesome violenceis somehow followed up immediately and seamlessly by a lighthearted, funny moment. During the film’s inciting kidnapping scene, Daley and Goldstein cleverly cut back and forth in real time between Brooks’ brutal brawl with his attackers and scenes of the rest of the group — who are still unaware that the fight is anything more than part of a staged game — calmly making small talk while sampling some of the party snacks Brooks had put out. Later in the film, asuspenseful escape scene that features Max being shot in the arm leads directly to a hilarious attempt at removing the bulletin a gas station parking lot. And in the film’s climactic setpiece, McAdams gives one of the funniest line readings in recent movie history after the henchman holding her at gunpoint dies a harshly severe death. These moments of interacting action and comedy are just some of the brilliant decisions made by Daley and Goldstein that led to their film’s eventual success.
‘Game Night’s Directors Smartly Rely on Fun Visuals
The sophomore effort by the directing duo,Game Night, established that Daley and Goldstein wereincredibly capable and talented visual artists. It seems that they were out to prove something with this film, hoping to announce to the world that they could do a lot more than just turn the camera on and capture some comedic performances from funny people. In a2024Vanity Fairretrospective, Goldstein stated, “we felt like comedy hadn’t done a lot of that, where you genuinely surprise the audience with the turn. And we also saw an opportunity to elevate the visuals, because there was a bit of a laziness in comedy directing.”
It’s hard to watchGame Nightand not feel like the two directors accomplished their goal.Game Nightis a special film that one day may be recognized among the all-time greats in the action-comedy genre. It works because it doesn’t attempt to force comedy into an action-heavy plot, nor does it try to cram exciting setpieces into a comedic story.It actually mixes the genres together, finding the sweet spot in the middle that brings out the best in both.
Game Night
