Funny Games (2008)

Funny Games lacks a playful element which subtracts from its "game" element; additionally, it isn't clever enough to truly be considered funny. I've never watched Haneke's original German version, but it's apparently exactly the same - except for the cast, of course. Why remake it then? The answer: self-indulgence.

The film opens with a timely, likable tone. Bold red text, classical music segued into an onslaught of booming death metal, all lightly poking fun at rich, white folk. It plays out like a well-funded, wide-eyed art school auteur cut his heart out, and let it splatter all over the screen.

Ann (Naomi Watts), George (Tim Roth), and their eight-year old son, Georgie (Devon Gearhart) head out to their vacation home in Head of the Harbor, Long Island. A peaceful, almost rural affluent community. During the drive, they play a charming little game of "name that classical composer." Things seem normal enough (except for the explosive death metal score) until they see their relative and neighbor Uncle Fred (Boyd Gaines) and his family playing an unusually grave and rigid game of golf on the front lawn. Ann asks if Fred would be so kind as to help George launch their boat at their dock.

Fred dutifully arrives at their home twenty-minutes later (as requested) with Peter (Brady Corbet) who is oddly equipped with white gloves. Of course, George, Georgie and Ann don't seem to notice nor does George regard Fred's scattered behavior as strange. Peter has his in, and, well, the game begins.

Broken eggs, and knees follow - along with implausible situations. Land lines are apparently obsolete in present-day estates due to flawless cell-phone reception, and, I don't know, a lack of cable/phone/internet combo plans? Oh, and rich white men also lack instinct, and logic - this may be true if they aren't self-made, but of course, we don't get that far into character in "Funny Games." We're too busy being entertained by creepy sociopaths, Paul (Michael Pitt) and Peter (Brady Corbet.)

Funny Games feels like an underdeveloped genre bender. It's pacing is too slow to truly feel like a horror film - there are no armrest-clutching moments. Its characters aren't dissected enough (nor sophisticated enough) to play out like a psychological thriller. Funny Games also includes about one minute of wall-breaking sci-fi - a backwards attempt at adding another dimension to Haneke's dissertation about violence in cinema.

Ultimately, I left the theatre thinking that Naomi Watts is crazier than meets the eye for both starring in and producing this. The acting and the cinematography were both flawless, but the film was made for the director - not the audience.

Written and Directed by Michael Haneke