Game Over, Man! Film Review

A Strong Contender For Worst Film Of 2018

It’s hard to know where to start with Game Over, Man. From the crude humour to the lacklustre script right through to the talented cast that are wasted on this project, Game Over, Man is a really poor comedic effort from Netflix. For those who are fans of lowbrow comedy and crude jokes, Game Over, Man is a film that you may well enjoy but it pales in comparison to other films in this genre. For everyone else looking for a funny and original comedy, you’re best left to steer well clear of this bloated 105 minute film.

Game Over, Man begins with three friends, Alexxx (Adam Devine), Darren (Anders Holm) and Joel (Blake Anderson) working as cleaners in a hotel with big dreams of financing their video game. After an awkward and overlong opening joke involving condoms and sex, Game Over, Man quickens the pace and sees terrorists, led by Conrad (Neal McDonough), take control of the hotel and hold it to ransom. With everyone captured and under the control of the terrorists, it’s up to the three friends to band together and try to escape. There’s quite a few recent references to films like Aliens, Die Hard and Home Alone 3 here but for the most part, these feel contrived and out of place in the narrative with most of the jokes revolving around genitalia, drugs or sexual acts. Whilst there are of course some who will love this, the timing of these jokes linger far too long and lose what effect they could have had had they just stuck with a short burst of shock and moved on.

What’s particularly frustrating about Game Over, Man is just how much talent is involved in this project. The script lacks originality and whilst you could pass this off as a spoof, it even fails to parody other films in a way that’s clever and original. The jokes linger a little too long, outstaying their welcome, the dialogue is uninspired and there’s an unoriginal arc given to the three friends that’s been seen 100 times before. There is at least an attempt to shake things up in the form of some plot twists and admittedly these are worked pretty well into the film but aside from these fleeting moments of surprise, the rest of the film follows a pretty formulaic and tired direction.

Is Game Over, Man the worst film of 2018? Whilst it’s still a little early to make that assumption, this is definitely one of the strongest contenders for that crown come the end of the year. The wasted talent evident in the cast is probably the worst thing about this project and the lack of care and attention put into crafting a clever comedy is ultimately squandered. Even in the realm of crude and parodical films, Game Over, Man is a poor effort and seeing the talent wasted on this project is a tough pill to swallow. With so many other options out there, it’s really hard to recommend this one to anyone other than those die hard fans of this genre and even those fans might find this trying their patience.