For a film revolving around a game that most of us have not played since we were ten years old, Tag is enjoyable and funny. Walking into this film I expected another lame comedy, but Tag surprised me. The film is not for the easily offended or squeamish, considering many of it's jokes are over-the-top and sexual. In fact, a family walked out of my theater within the first thirty minutes, but they should have expected the humor given the film's R-rating.
Director Jeff Tomsic (I'm Having a Difficult Time Killing My Parents) uses a cast that is well-trained in the comedy genre to portray this story based on true events. Ed Helms (The Hangover), Jon Hamm (The Town, Baby Driver), Jake Johnson (Jurassic World, Safety Not Guaranteed), Hannibal Buress (Neighbors, Spider-Man: Homecoming), Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), and Jeremy Renner (The Town, The Avengers, Wind River) bring some ironically shallow characters to the big screen. The story does not require much flash and pomp from the cast, but all of the actors are great at bringing their average lives out. Supporting actors also make for exciting circumstances throughout the movie. From the childhood crush portrayed by Rashida Jones (The Social Network) to the one-track minded gym employee portrayed by Thomas Middleditch (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Kings of Summer), the smaller roles help to progress the storyline.
Unlike during many new comedies, I found myself chuckling throughout Tag. The fact that Tomsic was able to make an interesting film based on the simple premise is surprising, but certainly shows storytelling talent. I certainly don't think that there is any further progression for this story, so hopefully there won't be any sequels for this one. One of the reasons why this film was so enjoyable was the fact that it brings out the inner child in the viewer. As the characters constantly discuss, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing" (George Bernard Shaw). This is a great message to back up the comedy.
The Bottom Line: Viewers can happily return to their childhood as they watch old friends reunite for their annual tag competition.
Score: 7/10
Director Jeff Tomsic (I'm Having a Difficult Time Killing My Parents) uses a cast that is well-trained in the comedy genre to portray this story based on true events. Ed Helms (The Hangover), Jon Hamm (The Town, Baby Driver), Jake Johnson (Jurassic World, Safety Not Guaranteed), Hannibal Buress (Neighbors, Spider-Man: Homecoming), Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), and Jeremy Renner (The Town, The Avengers, Wind River) bring some ironically shallow characters to the big screen. The story does not require much flash and pomp from the cast, but all of the actors are great at bringing their average lives out. Supporting actors also make for exciting circumstances throughout the movie. From the childhood crush portrayed by Rashida Jones (The Social Network) to the one-track minded gym employee portrayed by Thomas Middleditch (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Kings of Summer), the smaller roles help to progress the storyline.
Unlike during many new comedies, I found myself chuckling throughout Tag. The fact that Tomsic was able to make an interesting film based on the simple premise is surprising, but certainly shows storytelling talent. I certainly don't think that there is any further progression for this story, so hopefully there won't be any sequels for this one. One of the reasons why this film was so enjoyable was the fact that it brings out the inner child in the viewer. As the characters constantly discuss, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing" (George Bernard Shaw). This is a great message to back up the comedy.
The Bottom Line: Viewers can happily return to their childhood as they watch old friends reunite for their annual tag competition.
Score: 7/10
