I'm not sure why I chose "The Game" other than panic. I'm not a fan of watching movies twice unless they're phenomenal. I was intrigued to see how this held up compared to my teenage memory.
Michael Douglas' plays his character, Nicholas Van Orton, really well. It's easy to buy into the no remorse, businessman persona. One little touch that I appreciated about this movie - the main character actually ate food. It's a little thing, but I think it helps the audience connect with his character.
The interactive experience industry (can't remember the formal name) is growing today and I could only hope Consumer Recreation Services (CRS) exists in real life. I love the concept and that's probably why this movie appealed to me.
The way in which CRS was presented and pulled off their series of events was believable and entertaining to watch. I knew the ending of the movie going into it, but I began to second guess myself as they present the concept of Van Orton losing all his money to this company. I moved from generally disconnected from Van Orton to rooting for him to feeling sorry for him. The directors did a good job of presenting the story in a way where the audience probably has at least a hint of asking themselves, "Is this still the game?"
My main qualm with the movie is why Van Orton follows the waitress (Christine) around for so long. Is he that desperate for adventure, a companion, or something else? I wasn't a fan of the lady who plays Christine. I think that role could have been better cast. The ending was a little too scripted as well - the accuracy of the fall was too much for me. I think they could have come up with something a little more believable.
I'm on the fence between B and B+ because I'd probably watch it again.
Final note: Nicholas Van Orton's 1997 BMW has more tech than my wife's 2010 Honda Fit.
I’d put The Game into the category of Movies That Live and Die By the Strength of Their Twist. I first watched this around a year ago, and was generally happy with it, though I’ll get into problems a bit later. The action of the movie kept me guessing as to the extent of CRS’s involvement with everything, and I bought the idea of them being a scam established to rob their victims blind. However, the way the last 10 minutes plays out seriously damaged the movie for me a year ago, and watching it again with the knowledge of the twist, it’s dropped my rating even further to a C-.
ReplyDeleteThe way the movie establishes Douglas’s character is basically a red herring. He’s obscenely rich, his father killed himself when Douglas’s character was a child, and he’s emotionally distant from everyone in his life, which is not that many people. He is sure that the CRS experience can only be negative and is constantly suspicious. The arc of the story is pretty clearly setting him up as someone who’s going to go through an ordeal and come out the other side more generous with his time and his emotions. I don’t think he’s going to change at all after CRS is done with him.
With the reveal that everything that happened was a basically a cruel practical joke, what lesson is he supposed to take from this? He thought he killed his brother, then hugged him when he found out he was alive. That’s not growth, it’s primal relief, and also really cruel of Sean Penn. He’s going to sit down and think about this whole thing a few days later and be irate. He jumped off a fire escape into a dumpster, found himself in the back of a speeding and driverless car, and threw himself off a huge building in suicidal despair, all of which could have resulted in serious injury, regardless of whether or not CRS had paramedics on standby. This company took a huge payout to endanger his life for a nebulous lesson.
The plot, written by the future writers of Halle Berry’s Catwoman, I might add, really bothers me, but there’s still good stuff here. Michael Douglas can play this kind of role in his sleep, and I do like how there are all these grace notes that set up his life, like playing racquetball alone. David Fincher is that rare director who has made 2 A+ movies in Fight Club and The Social Network (some of us have Se7en as an A+, though that one’s just an A for me), so I’ll see anything he makes. Fincher’s fingerprints are all over this, with the creepy, dark mood and the quick cuts, especially once Douglas comes across the hotel room ‘orgy’ aftermath. That’s probably my favorite scene, just an escalating shitshow of blunders.
This is likely my least favorite Fincher movie, but because I like his style, I can’t say I hated it. The premise is just too outlandish for me. I guess I agree with Bryan that the way CRS pulled off the prank was believable, such that if they threw enough money at something, they can make it happen. Too much of it relied on coincidence and impossible predictions for me to really buy it, and the way Douglas just accepts everything at the end seemed insane. He’s going to need a lot of therapy after this ‘gift.’
"...and if you go, chasing rabbits..."
ReplyDeleteThe story was not too bad. It was believable but outlandish in some areas. Honestly, this could be pulled off. I agree with Jon that it was cruel to do and had it be done to me, I would be pissed...at everyone. Appears Nick did not feel that way.
It appeared that Nick Van Orton needed a change in his life. Not something transcendent but fun. He was an uptight businessmen who needed something different. The change was not quick. When he experienced the game, he was not enjoying it. From the tactics CRS did, that would be par for the course. His apprehension, however, did not begin there.
It was evident when his loose brother Connie - aka Seymour Butts - offered him this game. We all would have reacted the same way to something of which we never heard. Once Nick signs the paper, CRS had control over him. From the clown to the "suicide" attempt, CRS was in the driver seat - at times that was literal.
Michael Douglas is a fantastic actor and I do not mind seeing his films, which are typically successful. With that stated, am I the only one thinks he plays the same character? Gordon Gekko, Nick Van Orton, Andrew Shepherd, Nick Curran, Tom Sanders, Dan Gallagher. If there is anyone to play a business executive, detective, politician, wise man - someone of respect - Michael Douglas is the guy. He has been pigeon holed into that realm of actors and suspense movies. I am unsure if that bothers anyone else but playing the same kind of character is not exactly good.
The one thing I loved about The Game was Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit." This psychedelic rock song is reference to Alice in Wonderland - first and sequel. Throughout the movie it was as if he was "chasing rabbits" because the "men on the chessboard" told him where to go. That song fit perfectly when it was played in the graffiti scene and at the end because it hinted as to what was happening to him and then summarized what the game was. Not to mention it is a good song. That was the best part of the film.
All in all, decent movie. Believable storyline, good acting, ending was upsetting. Grade: C+
On to you, Sean.
This movie was as confusing and difficult to follow now as it was when I watched it as a teenager. I don't understand how the 3 of you so far think the premise is so believable. Basically every possible variable in his life would have to be accounted for. What if he doesn't follow Christine after she spills the drink on him. Why would anyone believe an ambulance driver and ride along with some random hobo he found on the street? Every person he comes in contact with for however many days or weeks from the time he goes to CRS is in on the gag? And he comes out of it happy? I definitely punch my brother in the face before I hug him.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a terrible movie, just not believable to me. Agree with Drew in that "White Rabbit" is definitely in there and meaning something. I think Fincher would've paid anything to get the rights and hope Jefferson Airplane held out for big bucks. Drew you're forgetting Jack Colton from Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile- totally different version of Douglas but he did have a hell of a run as the leading male in entertaining movies for over a decade and according to his IMDB is worth over 200Million.
I would have liked the movie better had it not been an elaborate present but they really did steal all his money and Sean Penn was in on it. The shooting Sean Penn and jumping off the roof could have stayed but they both shouldve been real.
Entertaining but toomany holes. C.
psthe laptop atmy moms has a shitty spacebar
Thank God Riley asked how you all found CRS believable. My hypothesis on a company like CRS would be that if they were this good at their job, there was probably a boatload of "trial and error" to get there, and they would have somehow been sued out of existence long ago after killing their third billionaire while "figuring it out." Not the point of this analysis though.
ReplyDeleteI talked about expectation some in our Cabin in the Woods discussion, and I think it's important to bring up again here. Here we had Michael Douglas doing Michael Douglas stuff & David Fincher coming off of Seven and about to make Fight Club. I had ZERO recollection of this movie ever being made, so when I knew these two things going in, I was immediately in the mindset of "hmm, this will probably be solid but largely forgettable."
And that's exactly what it was. I think we remember Seven and Fight Club so well b/c we had unpredictable and fairly tragic endings (esp in the case of Seven). I pretty much assumed the entire time Douglas was in no real danger... Although he actually was at one point. Did you see the carjacker at the party at the end? Me neither.
Or maybe I knew he wasn't in danger b/c HBO GO felt the need to have its screen cap being a smiling Sean Penn in a white tuxedo. REALLY?! That's your screen cap, HBO GO?! Pretty much killed the ending for me.
HBO GO issues aside, this movie did plenty right and plenty wrong. The exposition was very well done - we got all the information we needed without going to ridiculous tropes like having Michael Douglas say things like "Conrad, your my brother, blah blah blah" or anything blatantly obvious. Fincher was full-on Fincher with some great camerawork and really no bad performances (except maybe the lead actress... she was extremely hit-and-miss).
The pacing left something to be desired. It took a solid 40 minutes for anything interesting to happen, and then the movie was nothing short of relentless. There was no pause and no humor to be found. I was glad they didn't rush to the conclusion, but seriously, we could have done without the Mexico excursion... The t-shirt joke was not enough to justify it.
Finally, was I the only one annoyed with the constant piano sting whenever there was a reveal or something happened? It was worse than playing a Zelda game and having that stupid music play when you solved a puzzle.
+ Great performances
+ Fincher doing good Fincher stuff
- HBO GO ruined the end for me
- Poor pacing
- Some serious throwaway material
Grade: C+
I personally think using "coincidence" against this movie is shenanigans. The whole things has to be if he does A, we do X. If he does B, we do Y. It may seem like coincidence to the viewer, but to CRS I don't think that was in their business plan.
ReplyDeleteI didn't catch the piano string.
The A-to-X and B-to-Y only works as long as nothing interferes. Like the cab driver that runs him into the ocean. What would have happened if a different cab pulled up before the CRS one. What if a neighbor is sitting on the porch when the waitress's apartment is fake shot up and calls the cops?
DeleteYeah, Phil, I noticed the piano string. It annoyed me too but the "White Rabbit" allowed me to look passed it. Jon, you mentioned a red herring. That reminds me of Clue and communism.
ReplyDelete