BEFORE: I've got to zag a little bit here, to a film that was nominated for zero Oscars, but does have someone from "Avengers: Endgame" in it, just like "Green Book" did. I'm still seeing the cast of that superhero film everywhere I look, I think I must have moved every film connected to "Endgame" up toward the top of the list to take advantage of all the linking choices. If I couldn't see the "Avengers" film when I did, at least I would have had other chances, it could have slipped right in here between "Green Book" and "Tag", for example. But that's going to be expected with a cast of hundreds. Now I know I can link all the way to "Spider-Man: Far From Home", it's almost time for me to start working out how I'm going to get from that film in mid-July to August or September, because that could affect my May and June chains, there might be films I want to add or films that I need to take away because I need to make certain connections in July or August.
Sebastian Maniscalco carries over from "Green Book".
THE PLOT: A small group of former classmates organize an elaborate annual game of tag that requires some to travel all over the country.
AFTER: I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I got here, since I did begin 2019 with the movie "Game Night", about a group of adults playing competitive board games, and things spiraling out of control to an illogical conclusion. This is along the same lines, with a group of men in their late 30's (?) continuing to play the same competitive game that they played as kids, only things get really out of hand for the one month each year that they've designated as their play time.
Though it's based on a real-life group of friends that did continue to play Tag into adulthood, I'm sure the film took some creative license here, because in the real world people can't just ignore their jobs for a month or fly across the country on a whim (especially with last-minute airfares being what they are...) just to keep the game going. OK, maybe a guy without a family could schedule his 2-week vacation for May, but a whole month? To play TAG? No way, that guy is so fired. The five friends have had various levels of success in their lives, one of them is an insurance company CEO and on the other extreme, another is a recently-divorced stoner.
One player, Jerry, has apparently never been tagged, never spent any time as "It". Presumably, all of the others have had their moments of shame, because whoever was last tagged on May 31 must remain "It" for the next 11 months, thereby bringing shame to his reputation and his family name. Or it would, if the game of Tag meant anything in the long run. But the four non-Jerrys decide to team up to finally tag him, because for once, they know exactly where he's going to be, at his own wedding.
Now, playing this game as a group of adults means that certain "amendments" had to be agreed upon - there are no immediate tag-backs, meaning when tagged, you can't just tag the other person right back, because that would create a potentially non-ending loop, and decrease the involvement of the other players. Makes sense. But until now, all family functions, even funerals, have been fair game for tagging, if they occur during the month of May. Jerry's future bride wants the perfect wedding, though, so the amendment is made that the wedding ceremony, reception and related functions are off-limits. (That doesn't mean he can't be tagged on the way TO these functions...)
But while the four non-Jerry's are able to use deception, like disguises and prank calls, Jerry's playing at a whole different level. He's got ninja-like skills, CIA-level fighting abilities (he's some kind of gym owner/personal trainer) and a seemingly unlimited bank account. Basically, Jeremy Renner's playing a mix of Hawkeye from the Avengers and his characters from "The Bourne Legacy" or the "Mission: Impossible" films. So good casting there.
But these actors are all older than late 30's, and it shows. Ed Helms is 45, but somehow he looks like the oldest in the bunch, even though he's not. Renner is 47, but looks much younger, same goes for Jon Hamm. Jake Johnson is 40, and Hannibal Buress is 36, the only one in the group playing close to the characters' ages. I wanted to believe that Nora Dunn wasn't old enough to play Ed Helms' mother, but I stand corrected, that is mathematically possible, if her character had a child in her early 20's.
(EDIT: I think the math is off because the players say they've been playing tag for "thirty years", but if they started in 1983, then that's really 36 years. So if they were 9 years old at the time, they should all be 45 now. So only one actor is playing a character vastly different from his own age.)
The ending is overly hokey and sentimental, which seemed really out of place for a comedy. There was no need to attach a "moral" to the non-resolution. This game doesn't have to mean anything, it just has to be fun. The group believes that people don't stop playing because they grow old, but they grow old because they stop playing. OK, but you don't have to grow old to grow up, something these people clearly forgot to do.
Also starring Ed Helms (last seen in "Chappaquiddick", Jeremy Renner (last seen in "Avengers: Endgame"), Jon Hamm (last seen in "We Were Soldiers"), Jake Johnson (last heard in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"), Hannibal Buress (last seen in "The Disaster Artist"), Annabelle Wallis (last seen in "The Mummy"), Isla Fisher (last seen in "I Heart Huckabees"), Rashida Jones (last seen in "Quincy"), Leslie Bibb (last seen in "Trick 'r Treat"), Steve Berg, Nora Dunn (last seen in "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio"), Thomas Middleditch (last seen in "Kong: Skull Island"), Jaren Lewison, Maxwell Ross, Elijah Marcano, Kevin Moody, Xavion Shelton, Kella Raines, Braxton Bjerken, Brayden Benson, Braxton Alexander, Tyler Crumley, Legend Williams, Th'Yana Star, Al Mitchell, with cameos from Brian Dennehy (last seen in "The Big Year"), Lil Rel Howery (last seen in "Get Out"), Carrie Brownstein (last seen in "Carol").
RATING: 6 out of 10 powdered donuts
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