Tag

Sprinting through a first act of archetypal introductions, Ed Helms’ leading man, Hoagie, rounds up Jon Hamm (the narcissist), Jake Johnson (the stoner) and Hannibal Buress (the neurotic) to tag their old friend “Jerry,” played by a hysterical Jeremy Renner. Rashida Jones even appears momentarily to introduce a love-triangle subplot swept under a rug of pratfalls and ass-punches. Fortunately, the gags land with almost every hit, slap and tag as the cast gets along with honest camaraderie. Renner earns the biggest laughs by leaning on the machismo of his “Hawkeye/Bourne” persona to make losers out of the others. Hoagie refers to himself as “the heart and soul” of the game, and in the final minutes of the film we see why. In the midst of tragedy, Helms’ character reminds the gang why they play in the first place, and no matter how long they avoid it, they have no choice but to grow up. The film closes with documentary footage of the real-life tag members surprising one another with hijinks and admiration that could’ve fueled a much better film. In the hands of a stronger director, like Joe Swanberg, the man responsible for Drinking Buddies and Win It All (both starring Johnson), Tag might’ve been a thoughtful exercise on mortality, like a modern day Husbands or The Big Chill. Unfortunately, It’s another Game Night with fewer laughs in tow. As the Georgia Peach pushed the credits up screen, assuring that yes, those were Atlanta homes and streets in the background, an older gentleman with an empty bucket of kernels and butter stains nodded my way and claimed “that was actually a good movie.” He was right. It was actually a good movie, but it could’ve been a much better one.

[R]