Culture

‘Game Night’ Is A Criminally Underrated Masterpiece

It really has no business being this good.

by Lia Kim  4 April 2023

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For many of us, Game Night entered our lives quietly and without fanfare.

That is to say, we watched it on Netflix – it was something to throw on without expectations and nothing better to do anyway. No offence, past selves. And present self, to be honest. 

If you were lucky enough to stumble upon this unassuming triumph of modern comedy, then you were in for a damn treat. Rachel McAdams dropped one of her best and funniest performances to date (“Oh no, he died!”),  Sharon Horgan’s unexpected presence was a joy, and Jesse Plemons’ turn as the recently divorced cop (who couldn’t fathom why Frito Lay would be selling three bags of Tostitos for one) is truly a combination to be reckoned with. 

The film is also sprinkled with cheeky game references throughout the adventure: removing an (ultimately non-existent) bullet is a hat-tip to Operation; the Fabergé egg chase recalls a game of Hot Potato; and all that furniture stacking is just a high stakes version of Jenga. 

Despite the movie’s titular game night being derailed by an actual murder mystery, they still spend the evening enjoying a swathe of glorious games. Poetic. 

Why Did It Fly Under The Radar?

Game Night came out in February 2018, and while it made decent innings at the box office, it didn’t exactly make a splash. It hit Australian cinemas at around the same time the first Black Panther was in full flight — in fact, we were smack bang in the middle of Phase 3 of the MCU, right around the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming (also penned by the writers of Game Night) and Thor: Ragnorok and Avengers: Infinity War.

I, for one, was definitely caught up in the MCU hype and wasn’t racing to the cinemas to watch what looked like a bland comedy about people playing Pictionary in the suburbs. 

But the film’s writers may finally be getting the appreciation they deserve. Come 2023, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, also penned by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, is sitting at a 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and has been praised for its self-aware tone and nods to its role-playing origins.

Ultimately, though, Game Night was just as good. It’s filled with understated self-referential humour, top tier casting, and action sequences that really had no business being as good as they were. So while we’re all praising Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves for similar things, I will not rest until Game Night commands the same respect.