Top 100 Movies Of The 1990's: #34 The Game
Box Office: $48.3 Million
Oscar Nominations: None
Oscar Wins: None
Movie Rankings.Net: 81/100
Available To Stream: Amazon Prime ($4)
(I'll be saying SPOILERS from The Game. It's a 26 year old movie but I wanted to at least warn people. You've been warned.)
If you try to explain this movie, you can see why it didn't do well in the box office. It has the right pieces: a star at the time (Michael Douglas), a hot director (David Fincher coming off of Seven) and a really good final product. The problem is the movie itself is the mystery. That makes it more difficult to explain why people should see it rather than a more traditional movie.
My favorite thing about The Game is how it does such an effective job putting you in the mind of Micheal Douglas's character Nicholas Van Orton. You feel just as confused and anxious as he does. Fincher does a great job leaving you understanding the surroundings but mystified by what will happen next. Is it real? What is reality at all? The closest comparison I can give it to how you feel watching Uncut Gems. With that movie, it's an anxiety attack. With this, it's fear and confusion.
I love that this was the follow-up to Seven. It reminds me of when Tarantino followed up Pulp Fiction with Jackie Brown. Both movies are definite changes of pace with middle-aged men as leads. This is Fincher's most mature movie until he made Zodiac a decade later. It also holds up remarkably well. Other than some technology differences (no cell phones, old tv's), it feels like this could take place anytime over the past 30 or so years.
Sean Penn was not the first choice to play Douglas' younger brother. In fact, it wasn't even supposed to be a brother but a sister played by Jodie Foster. Foster had prior commitments with Contact (#52) and wasn't able to be available for when they shot The Game. Fincher and Foster would later work together on Panic Room.
I like the ending quite a bit. I think it's great that it was actually a game. It seems like a simple and probable solution from afar. To Fincher's credit, it doesn't feel so simple when you are watching the movie. For a movie with such a high concept, Fincher does a brilliant job sticking the landing. When Douglas is falling, you do wonder (as must he) where the game begins or ends.
The concept that true happiness lies in the relief afterwards is relatable. It's as simple as how good you feel right after you are sick or when something you are worried about for a long time is no longer an issue. You do feel more appreciative. They tackle this in Vanilla Sky as well ("The sweet is never as sweet without the sour"). I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to play The Game each time I watch this.
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34. The Game
35. Out Of Sight
36. Carlito's Way
37. Seven
38. L.A. Confidential
39. Speed
40. Gattaca
41. Misery
42. Tombstone
43. Ransom
44. Wayne's World
45. The Insider
46. Back To The Future Part III
47. A Bronx Tale
48. The People Vs. Larry Flynt
49. Eyes Wide Shut
50. The Sandlot
51. Happy Gilmore
52. Contact
53. The Green Mile
54. Man On The Moon
55. Boyz N The Hood
56. Grosse Pointe Blank
57. Independence Day
58. The Rainmaker
59. Go
60. The Firm
61. Magnolia
62. The Talented Mr. Ripley
63. Tommy Boy
64. The Usual Suspects
65. In The Line Of Fire
66. My Cousin Vinny
67. Awakenings
68. JFK
69. Toy Story
70. Home Alone
71. Jerry Maguire
72. Titanic
73. Billy Madison
74. Apollo 13
75. Braveheart
76. Edward Scissorhands
77. Cape Fear
78. The River Wild
79. What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
80. 12 Monkeys
81. Stir Of Echoes
82. Mission: Impossible
83. Total Recall
84. Quiz Show
85. For Love Of The Game
86. Being John Malkovich
87. Men In Black
88. Scream
89. Alive
90. Three Kings
91. Glengarry Glen Ross
92. Die Hard With A Vengeance
93. The Blair Witch Project
94. Twister
95. Dirty Work
96. Election
97. Tremors
98. Any Given Sunday
99. The Wedding Singer
100. Clerks