![]() Susan often comes off as a shrill “fun-killer” and her manic “bride-zilla” can be a bit “over the top”, but Bibb truly commits in her performance. This makes for an odd pairing with Bibb as his future bride. Jerry has a soft side, but Renner plays him as a closed book for much of the action, preferring to be the smug “man in control”. The best surprise may be the work of Renner, doing an inspired parody of his action movie roles from THE BOURNE LEGACY and Hawkeye in the Marvel movies. Unfortunately the constant “weed” bits wear out and become an easy laugh or a scene ender with CGI smoke wafting from his lips. Johnson’s also great with a snarky joke, given with a laid-back wiseguy charm. Buress can still steal scenes with his off-kilter line delivery, seeming to “toss off” killer quips. Plus she gets to team up with a co-star from the 2016 underrated farce KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES, Jon Hamm, who once again plays against his leading man looks to display his formidable comic skills and getting more physical via the great slapstick sequences. And Fisher is a most delightful “firecracker”. Though unable to tag, she’s a valuable addition the the guys’ mission. Almost matching him in his mania is Fisher as wife Anna, whose fiery spirit matches her hair color. Hoagie’s likable, but completely hyper-focused on his “Jerry hunt”. The leader of the mayhem is probably Helms’s Hoagie, who’s doing a less awkward take on his HANGOVER patsy while bringing lots of energy and a demented zeal to his quest. The cast is an interesting mix of comedy TV vets, stand-up comedians, and even an action flick staple. They all agree, though Hoagie and his crew continue their efforts to get Jerry alone and end his streak and finally make his “it”. During a truce they set up new ground rules: no tag at the wedding rehearsal, the following dinner/reception, or at the actual ceremony. Their first run at Jerry is disrupted by his nervous fiancee Susan (Leslie Bibb), She’s scared that they will ruin her big weekend. Soon their two other buddies, laid-back herbal enthusiast Randy AKA Chilli (Jake Johnson) and quirky, soft-spoken Sable (Hannibal Buress) join the journey. But she’s not the only lady, since Hoagie’s wife Anna (Isla Fisher), though not a player, is psyched to help track down their “white whale”. This all seems much more interesting to Rebecca than an interview, so she tags along. As Jake Blues would say, “It’s time to get the band back together”. Seems that Jerry’s getting hitched on the last day of the month in Portland. Jerry (Jeremy Renner) has successfully stayed hidden in May (and he’s super fast, too). This time Hoagie has a master plan to finally make one of their pals “it”. And the fella’ that’s it at the end of those 31 days is the loser (nope, no real winner). Of course you can’t tag back the guy that just made you “it”. Every year, during the month of May, they continue a game of tag begun in their youth. ![]() ![]() She’s intruiged by the ensuing chaos, so the guys explain. Bob becomes “it” just as he’s beginning an interview with a reporter from the Wall Street Journal, Rebecca (Annabelle Wallis). In the movie’s opening moments we see the elaborate planning of “tag” player “Hoagie” Malloy (Ed Helms) to deliver the “touch” to business tycoon Bob Callahan (Jon Hamm). Oh, and the game is much more violent (slapstick, you could say), because audiences would expect that for an “R” rated game of TAG. For the flick they’ve cut back the squad to five and they guys are trim and in their early forties (and of course, a couple of them are extremely photogenic). The reports of a pack (around a dozen) of buddies now in middle age (being generous here) who have set aside one month every year to continue a game of tag started while they were in grade school (so we could say it’s based on a classic game like CLUE or BATTLESHIP, but there’s no boards or dice involved, just hands and legs) has seen exposure in print and on the TV news (CBS Sunday Morning just rebroadcast their profile). Needles to say it’s been somewhat exaggerated or enhanced for the big screen. Now that’s a real rarity, little seen hybrid mix, like the “jackalope”. Just a minute, you’ve seen the TV ads and trailers for the last few months so you know it’s a comedy. ![]() Seriously (usually very very), they’re stories of triumph against the elements (as with the recent ADRIFT) or bravery in the face of injury or disease (BREATHE, STRONGER, and countless others). Enough with the frivolity down at the multiplex, we’ve got another film opening this week that was “inspired by true events”. ![]()
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