ready or not

Review by JD Piche, RCRs Producer and Pop Culture expert, follow him on Twitter at @misadventurer

In a time when bucking tradition becomes more commonplace, Fox Searchlight’s “Ready Or Not” from V/H/S Director-Duo, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, shows the Family that Slays Together, Stays Together.

Opening with a scene of two young boys running through the labyrinthian corridors of a mansion are they being chased? or are they giving chase? When the elder boy, Daniel hides the younger, Alex in an armoire, you could call it foreshadowing or set up for future pay-off. What happens next is a man in a tuxedo slides in shot, with a crossbow bolt in his side, asking the boy for help. But young Daniel shouts “He’s Here” as a cabal of masked and robed figures dragging a bride along, fire a small spear into his chest and carry him off into a room with the screen fading to black and we jump ahead 30 years.

“Ready or Not” seems like an edge of your seat game of Cat & Mouse, but it wonderfully cuts the tension with humor that had the audience of film critics howling with laughter. Playing Schaedenfreude like a harp. The film takes place on adult Alex’s (Mark O’Brien) wedding day to Grace (Samara Weaving). We’re introduced to the extended Le Domas family, whose Empire was built off playing cards, and expanded into board games with rather ominous names like “Family Ritual” and “Le Bail’s Gambit” telling the lore of the family through set dressing.

 

Mark O'Brien and Samara Weaving in Ready or Not
Mark O’Brien and Samara Weaving in Ready or Not

The Family has a tradition reaching back generations that at the stroke of Midnight on the day of a wedding, they must all play a game, randomly decided. Grace draws “Hide & Seek.” Normally a benign game, however to the Le Domas clan, it has deadly consequences. If they don’t find her and sacrifice her by dawn, The Devil will claim the lives of the whole family, or thats what they’ve been told their whole lives. The cast is mostly Canadian Actors, (to take advantage of Canadian Content tax incentives) giving a mini Orphan Black cast reunion with Elyse Levesque & Kristian Bruun as well as Wynonna Earp herself, Melanie Scrofano. Andie MacDowell does seem under utilized, but gets to chew the scenery a few times.

Andie MacDowell, Henry Czerny, Adam Brody, Nicky Guadagni, Elyse Levesque, Melanie Scrofano, and Kristian Bruun in Ready or Not
Andie MacDowell, Henry Czerny, Adam Brody, Nicky Guadagni, Elyse Levesque, Melanie Scrofano, and Kristian Bruun in Ready or Not

While the film’s trailer gives a lot away, it doesn’t capture how truly funny the movie is. The 95 minute run time does drag a little towards the climax, there’s nothing that feels unearned or superfluous. Adam Brody playing the older Daniel le Domas, arguably the Biggest Name in the cast gets the lion’s share of moments, as the earlier consequences of his aiding the family in the sacrifice of a would-be uncle in the opening scene has taken its toll on him, now, an alcoholic in a loveless marriage to a relentless social climber as well as the burden of being the family scion, Brody sulks his way through the film while being the only one with a conscious

Ready or Not is the most fun movie of the year, expertly blending humor and dread while not feeling overwhelmed by either sensation. The original score by Tyler Bates plays whimsical and dark in the best possible way. I’m uncertain if it was filmed at an actual mansion or how much was filmed at a stage, but the Le Domas Mansion is beautifully appointed, bogged down with heirlooms, with the occasional modern convenience, much like how the family follows the Rules of the Game written by their forebears.  While the film ends unambiguously, it does feel like there could be room for more in the same world with the set up of Mr Le Bail aka Satan, having struck more deals, and the folly of the bourgeoisie.

Despite a few nitpicks, Ready Or Not gets an A+ for being hilarious and genre bending.

“Ready or Not” in theaters August 21st from Fox Searchlight

About Ready or Not

READY OR NOT follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband’s (Mark O’Brien) rich, eccentric family (Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell) in a time-honored tradition that turns into a lethal game with everyone fighting for their survival.

  • Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett Screenplay by: Guy Busick & R. Christopher Murphy
  • Produced by: Tripp Vinson, James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Bradley J. Fischer
  • Executive Produced by: Chad Villella, Tara Farney, Tracey Nyberg, Daniel Bekerman
  • Cast: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, with Henry Czerny and Andie MacDowell

#ReadyOrNot #FoxSearchlight