STORY STUDY - CRITERION WEEK - 627. “The Game”

“Instead of taking a vacation… it comes to you.” That’s the sales pitch for Consumer Recreation Services.

Directed by David Fincher, and written by John Brancato & Michael Ferris, The Game is the story of a dispassionate investment banker who is given a gift card by his brother as a birthday gift.

After visiting their office and been given a psychiatric and physical examination, he gets involved in “the game.” Suddenly, his life takes a surreal turn: T.V. anchors on the T.V. set literally speak to him, his briefcase has been switched without him (or us) knowing, even getting shot at. It’s to the point where he even questions his own sanity of what’s happening.

His only ally is Christine, a waitress whom he inadvertently gets fired, who for some reason is also been targeted by CRS and their game.

Essentially, the film showcases the down-spiraling life of a cantankerous middle aged man. Every aspect of his life is been taken into account by CRS, and is subsequently tortured no matter what kind of action he takes.

Fincher himself states that the story was like a modern day Christmas Carol. If you know anything about that classic story, you know exactly what kind of arc our protagonist is.

It’s fascinating to see how the events of the film play out partly because of the real world physics that the film operates in. Impossible things happen, and it gets to the point you ask “how”? While very entertaining, it’s really the biggest flaw of the film.

As a science-fiction film, this could’ve been the most visually interesting and thought provoking. If future technology were involved, that would’ve made some of these moments, ironically, more realistic.

But as a film set in contemporary times? It’s a miracle the protagonist didn’t actually die. There’s also a surprisingly amount of people involved. Plus, the level of commitment from each of them. Yeesh.

I came across this film while going through the Criterion Collection to see what films they had in their inventory. I felt this one had an interesting story, and it was. Even more shocking was the fact that it was a David Fincher film. It was one of those films that were rarely referenced.

The Game is a trip down the rabbit hole filled with surreal to downright impossible moments, and it’s a weird ride if you don’t think too much about the logistics of it. And sometimes, that’s perfectly fine.