Max (Jason Bateman), and his wife Annie (Rachel McAdams),are a loving couple who met during a trivia night at a bar. Gaming has been a regular part of their lives, and they are often involved with hosting game nights for their friends. Max and Annie seems have it all save for a family and when it is determined that stress may be leading to the problem Max attempts to resolve the issue. Max has issues with his older brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler), who he sees as ultra-successful and rubbing his success in his face. The fact that Max has not seen his brother in a while is not an issue, the fact that the brother who seems to beat him in everything has returned is enough to set the mild-mannered Max on edge. After an enjoyable game night, Brooks offers to host the next one and although Max knows this is just Brooks looking for a way to show off his house, he accepts the invitation. Upon arrival,Brooks tells Max, Annie, and their friends that they will be playing a mystery night where a group of actors will stage a kidnapping and they must unravel clues to solve the mystery. The fact that Brooks is offering a prized car that Max has long coveted is all the motivation he needs to win the competition. The game starts and a group of goons arrive and rough up Brooks and kidnap him in front of the guests who all think this is part of the show. They soon come to realize that Brooks may not be the person he claims to bend that the kidnapping may indeed be real and not part of a scripted game. What follows is a mix of comedy and dramatic mystery that while unfolding slowly at times, is filled with some funny moments and great characters. Bateman has his likable everyman persona down well in the film and the supporting cast does a great job playing in the wacky adventure without every getting to madcap. The breakout star of the film is Jesse Plemons who plays Max and Annie's creepy police neighbor who is deeply disturbed following the breakup of his marriage and has taken things to a new level. You will want to stay through the credits as there are some extra scenes which round out the film nicely. "Game Night", is a pleasant enoughfilm that cannot quite determine if it is a comedy or dramedy, but it does enough good things to make it an enjoyable outing. 3.5 stars out of 5.

