Say what you will about Game Over, Man!, but there’s a damn good idea at its core. Like Galaxy Quest to Star Trek or Austin Powers to James Bond, taking a well-established example of a genre and putting a comedic spin on it can lead to some astoundingly memorable movies
In this case, Die Hard has got to be pretty near the top when it comes to defining action movies for a generation. The one-man-army, the foreign villain, all of them trapped in an inescapable building. It’s a blueprint that has lasted for decades. Alas, in spite of the groundbreaking inspiration, Game Over, Man! is missing one fairly important aspect for a comedy: actually being funny.
Fed up with their position as hotel housekeepers, Darren (Anders Holm), Joel (Blake Anderson) and Alexxx (Adam Devine) have been trying to create a product that would give them financial security and an escape from the tedium of their lives. Their solution is the “Skintendo Joysuit,” an exo-suit that can be controlled remotely and used for videogames.
Needing funding, they decide to pitch their idea to Bey Awadi (Utkarsh Ambudkar), a visiting guest and popular Instagram star. But their attempts are thwarted by the arrival of a group of terrorists, led by Conrad (Neal McDonough) and Erma (Rhona Mitra), who plan on forcing Awadi to give up the access codes to a $500 million account.
In order to save the day, the trio must put aside their differences and try to work together in order to defeat the gun-toting terrorists.
Coming from the creators of Workaholics, a show that ran for 7 seasons, it’s clear there must be someone out there that would appreciate the comedic stylings of Game Over, Man! How can you tell if you’re one of them? Well, do you think there is such a thing as too many dick jokes? If the answer is no, then this movie is for you! But for the rest of humanity, Game Over, Man! is a film that struggles to even come close to the heights of other action spoofs such as Hot Fuzz or The Other Guys.
Indeed, while the lack of jokes is a problem, the fundamental issue with Anders Holm’s screenplay is the lack of anyone to root for. Take Die Hard for example. You want John McClane to defeat the bad guys. You want him to reunite with his wife. Hell, Hans Gruber is so charming and intelligent that some people even want him to succeed! But Game Over, Man! has none of that. The main trio are such incompetent imbeciles that you don’t really care if they prevail. And Awadi ends up being so irritating that every time he appears you hope that the villains will put a bullet in his head.
To cover such scripting and character problems, the team behind the film have resorted to a parade of famous actors, clearly hoping that the “fun” of seeing said familiar faces would paper over the cracks. And sure, it’s engaging to see people like Donald Faison or Joel McHale have a quick scene or two. But again, without an actual joke accompanying each face, the entire project ends up descending into a very boring game of Guess Who?
With the exception of a rib-tickling appearance from singer Shaggy, Game Over, Man! is movie that ends up being an utter waste of talent and time. Filled with outdated humour and over-the-top depravity, it completely fails as a spoof of the action genre. It may only be March, but it is guaranteed it will be featuring on a great many “Worst of 2018” lists.
Overall Score:
Photo Sources: IMDb,
Circle of Cinema 