Obvious metaphor is obvious, but it doesn’t take away the comedic potential away from the mere idea of having a movie based on a game of tag between adults. The adults here being Hoagie (Ed Helms), Bob (Jon Hamm), Chilli (Jake Johnson), Kevin (Hannibal Buress), and Jerry (Jeremy Renner), loosely based on a true story that was written about in a Wall Street Journal article back in 2013.
The whole shtick is that these guys continue a game of tag during the month of May, which they have done for the past 30 years. In that time, Jerry hasn’t been tagged, so the group plans to get him once and for all as Jerry’s marriage is underway.
There are definitely a number of things the film has going for it, but the execution of it as a whole left a lot to be desired. First time director, Jeff Tomsic, clearly loves doing the outrageous gags, but the film eventually tries to pull a fast one on you and asks to take these characters seriously. The tonal shifts are jarring, but not in a particularly fun or interesting way. Or rather, it works once because there’s a great payoff to it, but it tries to pull the serious card out mere minutes after this, except this time, it means it. There could’ve been some charm to these people if we got to spend some more time with these characters outside of the context of the game, but that never really happens. We’re constantly stuck in this weird, heightened, comic reality where a guy can get hit by giant log, and cause property damage, and receive zero consequences, so when it tries to bring it all down to Earth for these earnest moments, they fall completely flat.
There’s also some odd details that just distract from the experience. One thing that I couldn’t stop thinking about was how Hoagie and his wife, Anna (Isla Fisher), have kids. They are mentioned a couple times throughout the movie, but we never see them at any point, and a reveal made in the final act makes their lack of presence all the more stranger because a situation arises where it would feel necessary to have the kids around. At least, somewhere in the background. I mean, they’re away from home for a while. Who is watching them?!? Plus, it’s just kind of odd watching what is meant to be a group of friends who grew up together being played by a cast in which the age difference between the oldest (Renner/Hamm) and the youngest (Buress) is a whopping 12 years. There was a literally a whole movie dedicated to guy being a slave for precisely that much time.
It’s a shame the film has these sloppy elements because there are moments that really work. I love how whenever the guys try to tag Jerry, the movie does that thing you see in a bunch of action movies where the protagonist calculates his every move in milliseconds. Renner does some funny voice over, talking about eh various moves he’s going to do to avoid getting tagged, while the guys just fail miserably. It’s great. And I like how the film alters its aesthetics for any given sequence. One part where the guys are trying to track down Jerry in the woods looks like it’s from a horror movie, complete with a delightfully cheap fog machine effect. There’s a waterboarding scene (it’ll make sense when you see it) that it lit like it’s something out of a thriller. Tomsic has the abilities to bring these comedic setpieces to life, but is constantly bogged down by a story that doesn’t allow those skills to shine through as often.
Despite the weird age differences, the cast is really solid. They’re a lot of fun to watch, you mostly believe them as friends, and their all distinct enough to give their own flavor to each character beat. The standout for me was easily Isla Fisher, who I keep forgetting is such a gifted comedic performer. She helps out Hoagie as much as she can, often getting way too invested in the game, leading to some hilarious moments where she just explodes, coming off as like the wild card of the entire ensemble. Unfortunately, she is the only woman who gets something of substance here. Annabelle Wallis plays Rebecca, a Wall Street Journal Reporter who goes along to observe the game, and that’s about it. She literally is just observing and not contributing much else to the story. Even more egregious is the waste of Rashida Jones, who plays a girl that both Chilli and Bob both pined for when they were young, and she somehow gets even less to do than Wallis, which feels so strange given her well established comedy chops.
There are just enough fun moments in Tag that I can’t begrudge anyone wanting to see it. It’s a mostly competent film, with a decent number of laughs. Though, it’s nothing that special, and I feel like Action Point, despite its faults, does a better job at balancing the slapstick with the scenes of sincerity towards the characters and their relationships. Tag is a solid little distraction about the very literal need to keep in touch with your friends, and for the most part, it does the job. Oh, and if you do see it, stick through the credits, there’s something fun.