Funny Games Movie Review
A Critic of the Disturbing New Film Starring Naomi Watts
In Funny Games, Naomi Watts plays a housewife on vacation in the country with her family, until two troubled teens show up to torture them for fun.
There’s nothing amusing about Funny Games. Director Michael Haneke’s new film, a faithful remake of his 1997 German film of the same name, is about as funny and subtle as a man choking in a restaurant.
While Funny Games doesn’t fit the typical horror category, don’t mess with this film if you have a sensitive side – this is torture and terror for torture and terror sake. Brutal crimes occur in every scene of this film for no apparent reason other than for aesthetics.
Funny Games Kids Play
As the movie opens, Ann (Naomi Watts), her husband George (Tim Roth) and their son Georgie (Devon Gearhart) play a simple game of ‘name that tune’ as they drive through the peaceful countryside – you just know something bad is going to happen, when the music changes to ear-shattering thrash metal.
When they pull up to their summer home and see their neighbors, conversation changes to the upcoming golf game. They love games, this family, except those forced on them by twisted teens Paul and Peter (Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet) who soon arrive on their doorstep.
Funny Games of Torture
Torture has become a big seller in Hollywood movies of late. The Saw and Hostel movies have brought sadistic acts of slow and painful killing back into the limelight.
However, whereas the aforementioned movies revolve around remote locations and implausible situations, Funny Games happens in the countryside by mild-mannered kids looking for a few laughs.
Funny Games, makes you squirm for the entire 107 minutes of the film. From the very first contact Watts makes with Corbet, your instincts tell you to run while you can – or grin, bear it. You know you are being warned.
The dialogue, circular and demented, makes you want to scream and wish you could reach in and kill Watts and Roth yourself just to make it all go away. Yes, this film about violence makes you violent.
Funny Mind Games
The best part of this mess lives in your head. Discarding graphic depictions, most of the awful acts happen off camera - the sounds alone make your skin crawl.
Because there’s no story, no reason why these boys go around dressed like prep school dropouts. You feel even more terrified and angry after seeing this movie and to that effect this film works well.
"Why don't you just kill us?" Ann asks.
Peter, with a giant smile replies, "You shouldn't forget the importance of entertainment".
If you consider slow films, torturous to watch and difficult to forget afterwards entertainment, you'll delight in Funny Games, otherwise you'll wish you had the guts to walk out and ask for your money back.
Other new releases include Jumper , 10,000 B.C and The Ruins.
