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I’ve got a pretty simple question for you: do you like to laugh? If you answered yes, then I’m going to strongly recommend checking out directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s new film Game Night. From start to finish, I was laughing. And if you thought it was just me, last night we held a special early screening of Game Night as part of the Collider screening series at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood and it played like the crowd was on laughing gas. Trust me, see this in a crowded theater and you’ll have a great time.

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Image via Warner Bros.

If you haven’t seen the trailers (which, thankfully, don’t spoil all the jokes or twists and turns), the film stars Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams as a couple whose weekly game night gets kicked up a couple thousand notches when Bateman’s brother (played by Kyle Chandler) arranges a murder mystery party that quickly gets out of hand. Think of Game Night as a comedic version of David Fincher’s The Game. The film also stars Billy MagnussenSharon HorganLamorne MorrisKylie BunburyChelsea PerettiDanny HustonMichael C. Hall and an amazing Jesse Plemons who plays a police officer that lives next door to Bateman and McAdams.

Last week, at the Los Angeles press day, I got to sit down with Jason Bateman for an exclusive video interview. He talked about why he wanted to be part of Game Night, his great chemistry with Rachel McAdams, how the film looks better than it has to, if the movie changed a lot during the development process, and more. In addition, he also talked about how he originally pitched Ozark to Netflix, the status of Ozark season 2, if they shared the internal numbers of the show with him, and how many episodes he’ll be directing next season.

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Image via Warner Bros.

Check out what Jason Bateman had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about followed by the Game Night official synopsis.

Jason Bateman:

  • Does he now feel like he could professionally launder money?
  • What was it about Game Night that made me want to do it?
  • How has he been describing Game Night?
  • How the film looks better than it has to.
  • His great chemistry with Rachel McAdams.
  • Did the movie change a lot during the development process?
  • How he has an amazing ability to play an asshole that you want to root for. How does he pull this off?
  • What was his initial conversation with Netflix about Ozark like? Talks about how they only planned for one season and let’s not plan beyond.
  • When did Netflix tell him the show is doing well and did they share any of the numbers with him?
  • How many episodes of Ozark season 2 is he directing

Here’s the official synopsis for Game Night:

Bateman and McAdams star as Max and Annie, whose weekly couples game night gets kicked up a notch when Max’s charismatic brother, Brooks (Chandler), arranges a murder mystery party, complete with fake thugs and faux federal agents. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, it’s all part of the game…right? But as the six uber-competitive gamers set out to solve the case and win, they begin to discover that neither this “game”—nor Brooks—are what they seem to be. Over the course of one chaotic night, the friends find themselves increasingly in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn. With no rules, no points, and no idea who all the players are, this could turn out to be the most fun they’ve ever had…or game over.