ddem2000

Instant reaction here. Was blown away by this movie. Not overly familiar with Justin Chon but his performance was exceptional and seeing he also wrote and directed this makes me excited for whatever projects he's involved with in the future. Alicia Vikander was solid as always great casting and most importantly the movie raises awareness to an issue most people were likely unaware of. Bravo!

Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Jeremy Renner (Arrival), Isla Fisher (Arrested Development), and Ed Helms (Vacation) star in Tag, a comedy focused on a group of friends who have been playing in the same game of tag since 1983. As adults they now play the game through the month of May, with the characters going to extreme lengths to get the upper hand on their friends. In the opening scene Helms's character, Hoagie, goes as far as getting a job as a janitor at Bob Callahan's (Hamm) place of employment in order to tag him and make him "it". The elaborate schemes the characters go to throughout the film's hour and forty minutes are reminiscent of shenanigans seen in The Hangover or Superbad, as the group plots to finally tag Jerry Pierce (Renner), the one friend who has never been tagged in the game's 30 year history. Jake Johnson (Neighbors), Hannibal Buress (Blockers), Annabelle Wallis (The Brothers Grimm), and Rashida Jones (The Office) co-star in what was a highly enjoyable comedy.

The film, while featuring an abundance of laugh out out loud moments as the characters repeatedly try and one-up each other, contains a strong message of the value of friendship. In an age where most people converge only to look at their phones or for weddings, children's birthday parties, etc; it is refreshing to see a group of people remain active in each others lives based on something as simple as a kids game. This film, which was based on a true story (in the end credits video clips of the actual participants are shown, which demonstrate the hi-jinx in the movie aren't highly exaggerated) and although the characters sometimes go to extreme lengths (some highly extreme) to get the upper hand on each other, you can tell through the strong acting performances of Helms, Hamm, and Fisher that these people genuinely care for one another.

Tag will likely not go down as one of the greatest comedies of all time (I gave it 8 stars on iMDB), but it was an enjoyable, feel good movie in a time where it's nice to smile for 100 minutes. Very strong performances from Hamm (who has shown his range between this and Beirut being released not far apart), Fisher (who is highly underrated for both her comedic timing and ability to display raw emotion) and Helms (who also showed his range recently in Chappaquidick, released at the same time as Beirut). Released at a good time before a majority of summer blockbusters hit screens, if you're looking for something enjoyable for a few laughs, this is "it" (sorry). Thanks for reading.