The Game

Movie review by Brian Costello, Common Sense Media
The Game Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+

Engaging '90s thriller has lots of violence, profanity.

R 1997 128 minutes
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Parents say

age 16+

Based on 2 reviews

Kids say

age 12+

Based on 5 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Game is a 1997 psychological thriller starring Michael Douglas as a wealthy investment banker whose ne'er-do-well brother gives him a strange gift for his 48th birthday: a live-action "game" that seems more dangerous and destructive than anything else. Suicide is a recurring theme; there's a grainy image of the lead character's father committing suicide by jumping off a roof, and the character himself attempts suicide. There's frequent profanity, including "f--k" and "s--t." An explicitly sexual movie plays in a hotel room in which there's also cocaine on a mirror and dozens of sexually suggestive Polaroids. There is frequent peril: The main character is driven off a dock into a bay by a cab driver, is pursued by machine-gun-wielding mercenaries, and has no idea what's really happening to him and why until the very end.

Community Reviews

BlueBird20
BlueBird20 Adult
October 23, 2020
age 16+

This title has:

Great messages
jmo97
jmo97 Adult
May 17, 2016
age 15+

Intriguing, but the ending's a let down

The movie's premise is a VERY intriguing one: a man receives a present from his brother that is like an interactive experience, and there are some bad incidences that result from such a gift. The acting is pretty good, with leads Michael Douglas and Sean Penn having very good scenes together. The ending didn't work for me though. Unfortunately, without giving away major spoilers, I felt anger towards a lot of the characters because I thought they acted very unethically. For problematic content, there is some violence (shootouts with a little bit of blood; themes of suicide), brief pictures and film of sexual activity (not too graphic), and occasional language like f and s-words, except for one scene where two characters let their emotions fly out and swear a lot. I think if parents are looking for an R-rated movie for beginners, say for their older and mature teenagers, this is a pretty interesting one to start with, and the ending might also actually be something to discuss about (who liked or hated it and why).

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a wealthy investment banker who is also an emotionally vacant loner trying to ignore his 48th birthday -- he's now the same age his father was when he committed suicide. His brother Conrad (Sean Penn) -- a dissipating drug addict in and out of rehab -- gives him an unusual birthday present: an invitation to experience an unusual "game" offered by a shadowy company called Consumer Recreation Services, or CRS. Eventually, Van Orton's curiosity outweighs his skepticism, and he meets with CRS, where he takes an exhaustive body of physical and psychological tests. This meeting precipitates a seemingly endless succession of horrible events, events that muddy the line between fact and fiction, as Van Orton tries to figure out who CRS really is as his life begins to unravel. Van Orton must find out who is behind this "game" and why they're after him.

Is It Any Good?

While the movie's excesses at times feel ludicrous, no one can deny that The Game is a thoroughly engaging and entertaining movie with many unexpected twists and turns. Once "the game" gets started, the action is unrelenting, delirious, and frenzied, and within the world of this movie, the lines between reality and fiction become so blurred, nothing seems quite real, and yet nothing seems impossible either.

While some of the satire on society, as well as the self-satisfied message about the meaning of life, hasn't aged well, the action of the story itself is as much an exercise of the brain as it is a release of adrenaline. In fact, questioning how the different scenarios might have possibly been pulled off by the shadowy organization that is putting Van Orton through the proverbial wringer is as much a "game" as the game played in the movie itself. For this reason alone, it's a movie that's just as easy for some to hate as it is for others to love, but no matter the opinion, The Game is an unforgettable experience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about psychological thrillers. What were the expected plot twists to this movie, and where did it go in directions you didn't anticipate?

  • What does "suspension of disbelief" mean, and how does that idea play into the overall story of this movie?

  • How were sex and violence used in this movie? Were the instances necessary to the story? Why, or why not?

Movie Details

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