THE GAME
Feed Your Head...
Dr T. White
Directed by: David Fincher
Written by: John Brancato and Michael Ferris
Music by: Howard Shore
Director of Photography: Harris Savides
Produced by: Steve Golin and Cean Chaffin
Running Time: 128 min
Rating : ***
Production Co: Propaganda Films
Distributed by: Polygram Filmed Entertainment
Official Website: www.the-game.com
THE GAME, currently one of the hottest box-office hits in the US, features Michael Douglas as Nicholas Van Orton, a not very likeable San Francisco business tycoon (the kind who makes money from having money, not from actually doing anything). He's a stereotypical jerk (presumably because his father committed suicide when Nicholas was young); so much so that his wife has left him, he is estranged from his younger brother, Conrad (this is understandable, as Conrad is played by Sean Penn and smokes in restaurants), and is rude to a secretary who wishes him a happy birthday.
As a birthday gift, Conrad gives Nicholas a gift certificate from Consumer Recreational Services (CRS), redeemable for "the game." Just what this is, or what it means, Nicholas doesn't know, and won't know unless he goes to CRS to find out. After a long battery of physical and psychological tests, Nicholas is informed that his application has been rejected (with no reason given), and that he will not be able to play the game. Although he wasn't especially eager to play the game, he certainly doesn't appreciate being rejected; after all, he is a man who is used to getting his own way. Little does he know that with this rejection, the game has actually begun.
From this point on, Nicholas begins to lose control of everything around him. At first this lose of control involves relatively small things: his pen, his briefcase, his TV. But after he meets a waitress named Christine (Deborah Kara Unger, who is sort of refreshingly unattractive), who may or may not be part of the game, his life takes on the qualities of an especially unpleasant LSD trip. Is this really just a game? Is someone trying to ruin his career? Is there a conspiracy to steal his money? Is someone actually trying to murder him? If so, who? CRS? His brother? His lawyer? Christine? Or...is all of this really happening, and is everyone in on it? In the end, perhaps the best thing to do is commit suicide, as his father had done years before...
Many viewers will come to THE GAME with high expectations; its director, David Fincher, has a track record that is interesting, even though he has made only two movies so far. Fincher's TV commercial and rock video roots are obvious in ALIEN 3, which flopped at the box office but which possesses an unmistakable sense of style; even his detractors admit that. And his follow-up movie, SEVEN, continues the young filmmaker's use of music video aesthetics on the big screen, resulting in a sort of post-modern film noir, a cops-and-crime drama with a definite edge to both the story and the visual style. Fincher seemed to be finding his feet, figuring out how to make movies to which the movie-going public would respond favorably, but would retain his abrasiveness and sense of style.
So does THE GAME fulfil this promise? Unfortunately....no, not really. It is still rather stylish and "out there" in relation to the typical Hollywood movie, but is considerably toned down from his earlier two films. Both ALIEN 3 and SEVEN left viewers with a rather uncomfortable feeling (and this is especially true of SEVEN, which is positively depressing), opting for emotional and artistic impact rather than happy endings. THE GAME, on the other hand, is a "feel-good" movie, and even has (gag me with a spoon) an uplifting moral to share with us (don't be a rich jerk-off and be nice to your siblings and employees; not exactly profound, but...). This movie seems to be Fincher's effort to say, "Look, I can make a Hollywood film just like anybody else; I don't have to be weird or edgy, I can make stylish thrillers!" It's not hard to sympathize with Fincher; after all, every director (well, almost every director) wants to make more movies, more money, and bigger box office. Coppola did it with DRACULA; DePalma did it with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.
There are other, smaller problems with the movie. It is totally improbable; could one corporation actually co-opt almost an entire city for the sake of a "game?" And wouldn't it be difficult to make sure that nobody actually got injured during all of this? And...if this happened to you, wouldn't you be really, really pissed off?? This lack of believability isn't necessarily a big problem, as few movies really are very believable, but we like them anyway. However, a movie such as The Game, trying to tell us something about real life and modern society (I think), suffers somewhat from this lack of credibility. Another problem is the very unpredictability of the story. Once you realize that everything in the movie is supposed to be completely unpredictable, it becomes, well, pretty predictable. You always expect that what will happen is the thing that is least likely to happen, and this is exactly what happens (did you follow that??). The film could have been more exciting if the story had been more conventional at some points, creating more genuine uncertainty about what will actually happen next. Really, though, my biggest problem with movie is that it could have been much better if Fincher would have gone with his instincts, instead of looking for his big score. If he continues to make movies, and regains some of his innovative edginess, I think that THE GAME will be remembered as one of his lesser efforts. On the other hand, if he continues in his quest for Hollywood blandness, SEVEN will be remembered as a pleasing oddball movie in the career of a mainstream Hollywood filmmaker. For now, though, go see it; it's definitely worth the price (and certainly more interesting than anything starring Alicia Silverstone or Demi Moore). Just remember what the dormouse said...
The Flying Inkpot's Rating System
* Wait for the TV2 broadcast.
** A little creaky, but still better than staying at home with Gotcha!
*** Pretty good, bring a friend.
**** Amazing, potent stuff.
***** Perfection. See it twice.
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