Finding its cinematic milieu somewhere between The Big Chill and The Hangover, 2018’s Tag is at times infantile, crude, and must be described as all-around silly, yet, despite this, director Jeff Tomsic pieces it all together in a surprisingly entertaining way – hitting the right chord by way of its stylized action set pieces, clever dialogue and its unique plot (childhood comradery maintained over thirty long years by way of a simple kid’s game).
Written for the screen by Mark Steilen and Rob McKittrick (and based upon a Wall Street Journal article entitled, “It Takes Planning, Caution to Avoid Being It” by Russell Adams – meaning that this is another based on true events tale), it tells the story of a group of friends who have been playing the same game of tag for thirty years (each May being the month where the all-out warfare happens). Now living in different cities, the group is comprised of an overly cocky businessman named Bob Callahan (Jon Hamm), a divorced, unemployed druggie, Randy ‘Chilli’ Cillano (Jake Johnson), a mentally fragile, outside the box thinker, Kevin Sable (Hannibal Buress), and the heart behind keeping the guys united, Hogan ‘Hoagie’ Malloy (Ed Helms). . . then there is their long hunted target, the hot-shot of the gang, Jerry Pierce (Jeremy Renner) – a man who has never been tagged in the three decades they have been playing (through a clever combination of speed, smarts, and feral brawn).
As this game has been going on for so very long (their book of rules has been created and amended countless times over the years – an early, very boylike rule still holds: no women!), there are other people who encircle the periphery of the game. There is Hoagie’s overly competitive (on the verge of insulting and violent) wife, Anna (Isla Fisher), while Callahan and Chilli have been battling back and forth for the love and affection of newly divorced Cheryl Deakins (Rashida Jones) for nearly the entire duration of the competition, and there is Rebecca Crosby (Annabelle Wallis) – a Wall Street Journal reporter whose interview with Callahan has been interrupted by the game, instead of rescheduling, she tags along (bad pun intended), following the gang to get this absurdist inside story. Also new to the festivities is Jerry’s soon to be wife Susan Rollins (Leslie Bibb), a wildcard unknown while everyone else is so well understood. Lastly, there is poor Lou Seibert (Steve Berg), a hometown bartender who has been trying to charm his way into the game for the past thirty years (to no avail).
With Susan adding an addendum that the game must not be played during any of the wedding related events, the men must become creative when formulating their plans for getting Jerry. They stoop to creative highs (and lows), from dressing up as an elderly lady and tracking him down in an elaborate golf cart chase, to actions that linger in a very grey area (is breaking into his house okay in this never ending game?), yet, whatever they try, they are unable to achieve their goal. Jerry is a master at using whatever is at his disposal, be it a purse, donuts, hot tea, or a tablecloth, to embarrass his friends in the most unique ways. A nice touch finds their in their head voices heard by the audience, Jerry taking us through his moving a-mile-a-minute thought process, while the others overconfidence, or lack thereof, is also enjoyed. . . one daydreaming vision is also used to comedic effect.
To once again compare this one to The Big Chill, the film making team replace the sixties classic rock tunes with a harder edged soundtrack, with The Beastie Boys, Danzig, Ozzy Osbourne, Ice-T and many others finding their way into the story in cheeky ways (Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train’ part of a psychological warfare trap concocted by Jerry, while Danzig’s ‘Mother’ plays as Jerry whoops poor Hoagie – who is dressed as a weak old granny).
Though some might call a few of the gags tasteless, it is all in good fun. With great chemistry found between the eclectic cast (each actor bringing a unique spin to his or her persona), it helps that there is some really sharp dialogue found throughout, with perhaps my favourite being when Sable asks Chilli, “What’s the difference between Episcopalian and Lutheran?”, to which Chilli replies, “Episcopalians don’t eat fish”. Confused, Sable continues, “That’s. . . pescatarian, that’s . . . not a religion”, to which Chilli concludes, “They’re all fanatics, I don’t know”.
Centred around the credo “we don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing”, this film really should provide two takeaways: one, no matter how cynical we can get as we grow older (it is hard not to after death, divorce, depression and the countless other hurtles we may face), it is important to hold on to that childlike passion, wonder and excitement that helps the heart and soul thrive; two, find a way to stay close to your friends – whether it is seeing movies like this one or playing tag for thirty years (it is well worth it).
A wonderful film to see with your old group of friends, Tag is by no means a masterwork, but it is a fun, lighthearted diversion that should entertain (as long as you are not offended by foul language and some creative liberties that take the script in a slightly sociopathic direction – this film is perhaps not the most PC). With a conclusion that hits the right notes, it may even surprise you a bit. Tag, you’re it – now it is your turn to check out this slap-tastic diversion.