GAME NIGHT...only for competitive souls

Have you ever wonder why do get along with your friends? Why is so much fun to gather around them? And why we connect and fall in love with some people while we just can't stand others? And specially why we act the way we do? Like if we were programmed as a video game to act in some way and make the same kind of decisions over and over, and then present that kind of behavior that everyone around us knows us better for? Is it the game of life that set us up for what is coming or is it really us who start building up the sum of experiences to be able to face the final set and win the game, able to have it all and achieve the american dream? Well one thing is for sure. We all are different and unique in some way, that we can be a specific character to play a very challenging game even if we all are playing under the same rules and setting. Things will look different for each one of us according to our own expectations and personalities that no matter how similar we think we are to others, we can't be more different as a whole and more similar in our core and basics. So is this an advantage or disadvantage at the end, or will help us to win at the end and achieve our goals and dreams? Maybe. It's all subjective. So why are we talking about this you might wonder? Well, because there is a new comedy that happen to be a funny one, not very original, but entertainingly enough and well done to care about their characters to a point that after having a blast watching it you might end wondering what's about this game of life we are all playing beyond those games we like to play with friends for fun or the ones we are trapped in real life. Is life a game or we are playing the game of life?

"Game Night" (2018) is a new comedy that actually tries to expand itself to different levels, telling a compelling modern story filled with funny gags and some action. Telling the story of a young modern couple that happen to be also a very competitive one. Reason why they were attracted to each other at the first place. These young folks met at a game a night and their skills and level of competitiveness got them together and since then they have become a team. Which is basically a metaphor for what a couple should represent in real life. A team where both can contribute with their own skills to become a stronger team and make it through in the game of life. But even we all have some level of competitiveness inside, some just seem to have it exponentially higher than others, and while it might seem fun, there is always more behind that. Usually that need to prove yourself as the best, to challenge yourself to achieve higher levels and push yourself to achieve always the number one spot rather than just enjoy the game no matter what position will you end at, comes from that need to fulfill something inside you that needs to be proven. That's why the more we get to hang with these guys the more we realize what hides behind their own game. They are trying to move their relationship to the next level, but something is holding him back. He seems very anxious and over stressed and it's affecting their plans. And all points to the visit of his brother that will be in town for the next game night.

Once we get to meet the brother, another piece in the puzzle starts to fill in. He represents the success of the family, the charming, with social skills, popular, charismatic, confident. All things he lacks of. No matter how successful he might seem, with a nice job, pretty house and beautiful and cool wife, he doesn't feel that way, so that's why he pushes himself to win every time in any kind of game. He can't afford himself to feel like losing in game night. But this game night will be different. A new game has been set up for this peculiar group of friends. The brother is trying to impress everybody and for so has planned a murder mystery game with real people and real locations that they will have to figure out through the clues that he left. What they haven't anticipated is that he is also running illegal business so now the mafia is looking after him and will crash their game night to take him with them. So now we get both scenarios mixed up, confusing the players that will try to win by rescuing their friend. So soon they will realize that they don't know him at all. Specially his own brother. Who has always seem him as a threat and now realizes that it has always been the opposite. He is actually the successful one while the other has been falling into all kind of trouble and living at the edge by trying to get what he has.And that is what competition brings. Usually blinds you from realizing the truth behind the each player as you can only focus on yourself and find the ways to overcome your own obstacles looking at every body else as your competition rather than finding them as allies.

We all play by the same rules but at the end is hard to win by being yourself. So just like poker, we need to pretend to be a different version of us to feel like we fit in, or to connect with others that normally we wouldn't, or just because we can't accept our own truth so we buy the one that we always wanted to be. So with that many masks, we build layers on us that will cover our own beauty and intentions, misleading everybody else, turning the table and the game in so many directions that at some point we won't know what are we playing for. But wait, because this movie is not all about one couple but we have two more couples competing to try to win this game. The second couple is an African american one, high school sweethearts, that feel like thy know each other in every level, giving them this advantage over other couples trying to adjust to each other while they seem to have everything figure out. until they don't, and that might get in between them. When you think you have everything in control just to realize you don't can shake you and make you tumble putting your whole game at risk because trust is hard to get back once is broken and that wound goes deeper than any bullet. But why would you expect to know everything about someone? Isn't that the excitement of the game of being part of a relationship, to keep growing and exploring and discovering new phases of yourself and your partner along the way? Or is it makes a better team to posses all the knowledge and be on a comfortable spot able to avoid the unexpected?

And last, we have the third couple or wanna be couple, of the night. The bachelor of the group, forever single and dating multiple girls that all look the same, like gorgeous models, but no caring about their personality because they are mostly here to fulfill a space and be the plus one of he night. He is also not a very smart guy, reason why he compensates his lack of personality with his good looks and muscles but maybe tonight he might discover that what really matters in order to build a connection is personality and that will make someone more attractive to your eye. Once you get to know someone and happens to actually enjoy their company, plus feeling challenged by them, will turn the heat on, rather that just follow the check list and make someone your type in paper but at the end, will be game over. So now you have more than one reason to go and see this under rated movie that unfortunately has been overshadow in the box office thanks to the attention we have given to bigger blockbusters or award winning dramas, forgetting that we all are still playing the game of life and game night will come soon and will remind us how important is to stay focus and keep our game going, but only by understanding who we are and where the other players are standing at, to avoid get confused and tricked by appearances, but reminding that life is meant to be to enjoy, if there is a game inside that we need to figure out, has to be to make us better and achieve our own goals, not others, and have fun along the ride, just as all this characters will try to prove us, with a smart, funny, deep but ambitious game night. Because we all love games and comedies, we are just afraid of accept it.