We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing. – George Bernard Shaw
Filled with laughs and an all-star cast, Tag is based on a true story published by The Wall Street Journal about a group of grown men who spend one month every year playing tag.
Tag follows childhood friends Hogan “Hoagie” Malloy (Ed Helms), Bob Callahan (Jon Hamm), Randy “Chilli” Cilliano (Jake Johnson), Kevin Sable (Hannibal Buress), and Jerry Pierce (Jeremy Renner). Since 1983, the group of friends spend every May playing Tag as a way to continue being in each other’s lives. Whoever is “it” at the end of May is deemed the loser and “it” until the next season. However, Jerry has never been tagged and his upcoming wedding inspires Hoagie to recruit the rest of the group to unite to finally tag Jerry.
The film’s cast is enough to attract any fan of comedy. Other than Helms, Hamm, Johnson, Buress, and Renner, the film features Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Annabelle Wallis (The Mummy), Rashida Jones (TV’s Parks and Recreation), and Leslie Bibb (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby). Thomas Middleditch, Carrie Brownstein, Lil Rel Howery, Nora Dunn, and Brian Dennehy also have minor roles in the film. Along with the excellent lineup, each character is portrayed hilariously while feeling relatable. The desire of wanting to remain connected to friends is a sentiment easily shared by the viewer.
The film provides plenty of laughs, but also an enjoyable and organized storyline. This of course is assisted by the fact that the film is based on a true story. In my opinion, this makes the film even more hilarious. Something I really enjoyed were the action sequences when the game of tag actually took place. Any time the group would attempt to tag Jerry, the scene was shot like an action film. Jerry’s inner monologue would describe, in detail, his surroundings along with his next move to avoid being tagged. The elaborate and elusive maneuvers Jerry utilizes almost creates the illusion of watching a quality action film.
If we’re being honest, a good soundtrack can add a lot to any film and Tag’s soundtrack is a perfect blend of hits from the 80s and 90s. You can expect to hear The Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest, Ozzy Osbourne, Ice-T, Boyz II Men, Pixies, Crash Test Dummies, KRS-One, Danzig, Beastie Boys and others. each song is fits situations properly throughout the film.
If you enjoy laugh out loud comedies, Tag is for you. It’s a film I’ll watch many more times and find hilarious each time I watch.
