Funny Games (2008)

Warner Independent Pictures (WIP) | Release Date: March 14, 2008

7.1	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 112 Ratings

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DobianNov 7, 2014

Funny Games is for all intents and purposes a snuff film. I am not easily offended (I love A Clockwork Orange, for example), but this movie is the most vile and offensive piece of trash I have ever watched. I never saw the European original,Funny Games is for all intents and purposes a snuff film. I am not easily offended (I love A Clockwork Orange, for example), but this movie is the most vile and offensive piece of trash I have ever watched. I never saw the European original, but have read that it is identical to this one. There is no message, no lesson, nothing of value conveyed to the audience. What's more, through the use of the fourth wall, the director literally mocks the audience, telling the viewer that they are going to watch this poor family get tortured, and even when they finally get the upper hand, I'm going to hit the rewind button (literally) and replay the scene so the brutal sadism can continue. At this point you realize that you are just being toyed with, so what's the point of continuing to watch? Any "suspense" is a hoax; and you realize it was all just a bunch of red herrings to keep you focused on the family's hopeless demise, including the brutalization of a child. I don't know how anyone can find this "art house" film entertaining or engaging in any way. I give it a "1" only out of respect for the quality performances of Naomi Watts and Tim Roth. But whatever possessed them to take on this putrid film, I have no idea.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

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drone41Feb 9, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What to say about movie where you can watch one scene where mother about 10 minutes just trying to stand up. It'enough from me.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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LanthimosSucksDec 25, 2017

Yeah i know what that Haneke dude tried to do ok...but whatever really.Kinda boring.Mostly boring.And pointless.

2 of 7 users found this helpful25

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acescarterApr 5, 2011

Haneke's attempt at creating "unbearable cinema" ultimately failed with this film, in my opinion. I found it quite boring because it is overly focused at trying to provoke emotions from the audience and in doing so lost all meaning. There wasHaneke's attempt at creating "unbearable cinema" ultimately failed with this film, in my opinion. I found it quite boring because it is overly focused at trying to provoke emotions from the audience and in doing so lost all meaning. There was no plot, no build up, nothing. I quicker recommend that one watched paint dry before I recommend this film for anyone.… Expand

2 of 8 users found this helpful26

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ryancarroll88Aug 27, 2010

Michael Haneke gets his point across, but has to sacrifice all semblance of entertainment to do so. It's a shame because there was a lot of talent behind this film.

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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30CentsJun 20, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Under weighted by all of its cliches and terrible dialogue, Funny Games is nothing more than an excuse to sell movie tickets.

Plot:
The film starts out with a family of 3, a mother, a father, and a son who is on their way to the summer vacation home where this movie is taken place. The movie hits us with a heavy-metal song as soon as the title appears, it does not have anything to do with the movie itself, kind of random that it is there. The family pulls up and unpacks everything that they had brought with them, then they hear someone from the backyard. Two men with white golf suits on (similar to the costumes in A Clockwork Orange) ask for eggs, the family gives them some eggs as they requested. The two men request more eggs, the family tries to force the two men away, but one of the men gets angry and breaks the dad's leg with a golf club. Instead of trying to kill these idiots who broke into their house, the mother and the son try to comfort the father while the antagonists keeps them hostage.

The two main villains force the family to play games with them in order to stay alive, one of the two men asks the mother and the father betting they will be alive by 9:00 A.M the next morning. Why can't the mother or the son who is not injured just kill these men, and why are they forced to make a bet? Anyway, the two men force the mother to strip while the father and the son painfully watch her, we then get a short story from the two men mentioning their pasts with each other, this has nothing to do with the story line, and it is never explained what is causing these men to torture this family.

The son tries to find a way to stop these men by sneaking out of the house, he tries to climb over a fence to the neighbors house, but finds they are dead implied that they have been killed by the same men. Instead of going to another house and getting help, the son turns back around to go back to his family where the sadistic mad men are. The son grabs a shotgun he finds upstairs and attempts to kill one of the men, but of course is fails to go off and the man grabs the shotgun from him. The son is forced back downstairs with his mother and father, the two mad men play a small game of eeny meeny miny moe to see who will die first, the last word ends on the son, he tries to escape but he his shot off-screen.

The two sadistic men then leave the house to go get something, we then get a seven minute conversation between the mother and the father losing the life of their son. This scene only has one camera shot, and goes no where with the plot besides talking about calling the police and only shows them weeping. The mother tries to get the father to come with her, but unfortunately with the father's broken leg he cannot leave with her. The mother then tries to call for help on the street, why can't she just knock at someone else's door to get help? Anyway, a car comes up then the screen fades back to the father in pain.

The two sadistic mad man capture the mom again and forces them to continue their game. The mom is forced to decide what to do next, to kill her husband slowly with a knife, or kill him quickly with a shotgun that is lying right in front of her. The mom finally does the right thing and picks up the shotgun and kill one of the sadistic mad men, but that is overshadowed by the other man who is still alive. The last mad man alive then picks up a T.V remote and initiates breaking the 4th wall by rewinding the entire scene to pretend his partner never died. There are so many things wrong with this it's is too confusing to talk about, and of course, this is never explained, thanks movie for making your plot worse than it already is. So after bringing his partner back to life, the attempt to grab the shotgun ultimately fails, one of the men then takes the shotgun and kills the dad.

The scene then transitions to the next morning the two men take the mom all tied up in a row boat, once again she tries to escape by grabbing a knife and cutting the rope, but fails and is thrown in the water. The two men then go to another house backyard and asks the neighbor for more eggs, implying that they will do this again, the movie then ends with the same awful music it had in the beginning.

Final Opinion:
Funny Games is a poorly directed film by a foreign director, the film was remade 10 years prior to this movie's remake. The director seemed to have wanted more attention for this film by making the movie all over again, just with American actors. Naomi Watts and Tim Roth completely embarrasses them selves by poorly acting in this film. This movie overall does a good job of keeping you in your seat hoping the movie will get better but seeing that the ending sucked.

This is hands down, the worst movie I have ever seen, the movie is so slow of getting to its main point: kill the family. The movie tries to be an "Art Film" this is in no means an art film of any sort. Don't even look at this film.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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