Well played

Directors John Francis Daley (once the pint-sized star of “Freaks and Geeks”) and Jonathan Goldstein demonstrate confident action chops and a thoughtful style in telling the story of a “murder mystery party” gone horrifyingly off the rails in “Game Night.” Imagine David Fincher’s “The Game” crossed with the duo’s “Horrible Bosses” movies, and you have the idea.
As the primary scribes of “Horrible Bosses,” Daley and Goldstein already have a track record with star Jason Bateman, who pairs nicely here with Rachel McAdams. The film’s shadowy photography and an ’80s thriller score lace the laughs with just enough creeping dread to give the nonsense a sense of stakes.