A childhood playground game becomes a bonding experience for a group of middle-aged men in the true-story-based Tag. Since they were 9-year-olds in Spokane, WA, five pals have played a raucous game of tag. Now that they’re older, it’s still game-on during the month of May. Egged on by his wife (Isla Fisher), veterinarian Hoagie (Ed Helms) joins insurance C.E.O. Callahan (Jon Hamm), recently divorced stoner Chilli (Jake Johnson), and neurotic Sable (Hannibal Buress). But the “king of the game” is cocky Jerry (Jeremy Renner), a highly competitive fitness fanatic who has never been tagged. A pivotal plot point reveals that Jerry is getting married to Susan (Leslie Bibb) on May 31 but has not invited his rowdy buddies to the ceremony. So Hoagie plans the ultimate power play: cornering unsuspecting Jerry on his wedding day. Trailing the quintet is Wall Street Journal reporter Rebecca (Annabelle Wallis), who is writing a profile about Callahan but finds their game more fascinating. Based on Russell Adams’s WSJ article, this sketchily-scripted comedy directed by Jeff Tomsic features a supporting cast that includes Brian Dennehy, Nora Dunn, Rashida Jones, and Carrie Brownstein. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Meet the Real Tag Brothers” featurette on the real-life inspiration for the film (5 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a gag reel (8 min.), deleted scenes (6 min.), and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an uneven comedy.] (S. Granger)
Tag
Warner, 100 min., R, DVD: $28.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $35.99, Aug. 28
Tag
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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